Click on the image to zoom inA second spate of scrub fires along the Waikareao Estuary is raising concerns from firefighters and police as they attempt to stop the dangerous pattern.
Early this morning Tauranga and Greerton Fire Brigades were called to three separate vegetation fires in the space of an hour along the walkway – the second Friday night in a row.
The burnt section of walkway scrub on Churchill Road near Ngai Tamarawaho Crescent, Judea. Photos: Tracy Hardy.
Tauranga Fire Brigade senior station officer Mark Keller says because of the short space in time between the three fires the brigade had three appliances out of the station.
Firefighters were first called to Takitimu Drive at 12.25am putting out the fire within 25 minutes before blazes on the walkway off Churchill Road, Judea at 12.40am and Kingswood Road, Judea at 1am.
Mark says the Takitimu Drive fire was about 20 square metres and relatively minor, but when firefighters were alerted of a second fire police were immediately alerted.
'It was some arsonist basically walking along the path starting fire to stuff,” says Mark.
'We called the police as soon as we got a second one and the police were very quick in their response so they had a dog team and a few police respond to the area. It [the fires] was starting to become quite a pattern.”
Firefighters battled the Churchill Rd fire, about 100 square metres in total, for just over an hour with firefighters running a considerable length of hose from the road to the boardwalk fire.
'The boardwalk one was spreading quite rapidly because of the breeze and the dry undergrowth.
'It was a fair way [from the road] and we had to run a fair length of hose.”
Greerton Fire Brigade station officer Paul Van Kol says the Kingswood Rd fire on the Waikareao Estuary Walkway was no more than 15 square metres of scrub.
Police were also in attendance, says Paul.
Tauranga Police say no arrests have been made in relation to the fires at this stage.
Last week's fire repair bill is estimated to cost Tauranga City Council $2500 in replanting and repair work with more than 200 square metres of scrub burnt in the fires.
1 comment
Realistic
Posted on 08-03-2014 14:40 | By wayjan
Some people are absolute irresponsible idiots out on a mission to cause grief for others! Perhaps signs along our walkways warning of serious penalties for those out to threaten/destroy our natural habitat, just so long as the local Council/Police follow up on those penalties...first to catch them, advertise their names/photos through the media, and have them assist in the replanting of the destroyed habit. There is simply no excuse for such destructive behaviour!
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