KiwiRail says it's taking extra steps to deal with a rise in the number of scrub fires sparked by trains in the Mount Maunganui area.

Firefighters have attended more than a dozen such fires in recent weeks.

Mount Maunganui Fire station officer Roger Pickett says these scrub fires caused by sparks on the tracks from trains is becoming a regular occurrence.

He says it's getting worse because some of the fires have threatened nearby properties.

He wants KiwiRail to do something about it.

Now KiwiRail says they are onto it.

KiwiRail acting chief operations officer Henare Clarke says unusually hot temperatures in the Bay of Plenty have seen significantly drier vegetation conditions along the rail corridor.

He says the steps they're taking include further cutting back vegetation near the line, having a water truck dampen the area next to the track and stepping up the inspection regime.

'Friction between train wheels and track can generate sparks, which can in turn ignite trackside fires while the vegetation is extremely dry,” says Henare.

'This summer we have experienced an unprecedented number of small isolated trackside fires in the Bay of Plenty in the departure corridor from the Mount Maunganui rail terminal, where there is increased sparking as the trains accelerate.

'We have been working hard on preventative measures.

'The measures we have taken or that we will implement shortly include creating a fire break several metres wide along the rail corridor through the area of concern, using a water truck to dampen the area near the track and reprioritising our maintenance resources to provide a fire watch inspection after each train departure.

'We are also looking at what other measures we can take before next summer.

'However there are safety constraints on when and how work can be carried out in the rail corridor, and we make safety our top priority.

'KiwiRail appreciates and acknowledges the professional support of local emergency services which allows us to keep running our services safely.”