The fire near Whangārei reached its height on Thursday, but firefighters have been able to battle it back from the valley ridges, and establish a controlled perimeter. Photo: Supplied / FENZ
Fire investigators have established exactly where a serious wildfire started near Whangārei - and are now working on how it got started.
The 14-hectare blaze broke out in a steep valley south of the city, between the suburb of Onerahi and Tamaterau on Thursday, forcing the closure of Whangārei Heads Road and the evacuation of two homes.
Fire and Emergency NZ incident controller Denis Cooper said it was extremely hot in the valley on Saturday, but there was little wind, making good conditions for firefighting.
Investigators are now confident the fire was not deliberate, he said.
"Investigators have been here each day, they're back here today and they're working through. We know where it started, now we just need to figure out the how and the why, - that's the next question."
There are still 20 firefighters at work, concentrating on strengthening the perimeter around the remaining fire, Cooper said. But by early afternoon, he was expecting the main firefighting effort could be wrapped up by the end of Saturday.
After the crews are happy the perimeter has been made as safe as possible, they will concentrate on searching for remaining hotspots, he said.
The fire reached its height on Thursday, when firefighters concentrated on saving nearby houses. At its closest the blaze came within 20 metres of one home.
On Friday, ground crews went back to work, with help from four helicopter crews using monsoon buckets and another helicopter crew acting as spotters. The efforts created a controlled ring surrounding the fire, and they were able to ensure there was nothing burning on the ridges of the valley.
Saturday's efforts were planned to be about "mopping up the middle," Cooper said earlier. And is hoped that by Sunday, personnel will only be needed at the scene for monitoring.
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