NORTH ISLAND BUSH FIRES

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24798, 12 February 1946, Page 4

NORTH ISLAND BUSH FIRES

STRENUOUS FIGHT CONTINUES

THOUSANDS OF ACRES THREATENED

(P.A.) AUCKLAND, February 11. A strenuous fight against extensive fires which are encroaching on thousands of acres of pines is still being fought a few miles south of Atiamuri. The fire fighters had a brief respite today, but the danger became real later this afternoon when the wind freshened again. Men are standing by at Taupo, Wairakei, and other places to meet fresh outbreaks, but the situation there is stated to be much better than at any stage during the last few weeks. At Oruanui, 15 miles along the Taupo-Tokoroa road, flames in native bush have taken a new lease of life. Men who have been fighting the fires around Taupo and all the way north to Atiamuri have given a splendid exhibition. Volunteers have come forward in their hundreds, and no appeal for relief gangs has been made in vain. Owners of trucks and other material which can be used have also thrown their resources into the fight. These factors may decide the course of events in the next few days, for it has been made clear by the officials in charge of operations that rain or weight of manpower are the only two things that will halt the fires.

When Taupo and Wairakei were menaced the men who fought to save the areas took little heed of time or personal danger. They remained at their posts for periods of up to 24 hours, with only short breaks for meals. Some of them stood for hours in choking smoke and blinding heat to play water into the flames which threatened life and property. As relief reinforcements arrived from many parts of the North Island the original fire fighters snatched brief periods of rest before they took up their positions again. Weary Fire Fighters To-day all the men who struggled during the week-end to bring the situation under control are weary and grimy. They are still on the job, but many of them seem to be practically asleep on their feet. When a relief gang permits them to leave the immediate fire area they reach their base camps, stretch on the ground, and gain a short rest before their turn comes to return to the fray. Some of them went into the bush behind Atiamuri last night, fought the fire on steep hillsides all night, and did not return until about 11 o’clock this morning. Admirable work was done at the end of last week and during Saturday and Sunday by nurses at the Wairakei Hotel who were in charge of 80 female mental patients. Considerable responsibilities rested on them at the time the hotel was in danger, and some worked for periods of 16 hours with little sleep. They had no relief on which they cnuld call, and simply had to carry on. They then had the task of establishing a temporary hospital in Taupo, and yesterday and to-day they had to carry out the transfer of patients from TaUpo to Raventhorpe. Others who have shown a fine spirit during the crisis are women in various hotels in Taupo and in the Atiamuri lodge, who have been preparing and distributing food for the men who return from the fires. Refreshments have been available practically all through the night. Change of Wind

The great fire which raged through the Forest Products block on the main Rotorua-Taupo road and crossed the river into the plantation of Afforestation Proprietary was arrested last night by a change of wind which aided the efforts of the fire fighters. The Pahora Kuri block of few Zealand Forest Products, Ltd. (some 30,000 acres), appears to have been destroyed and all that remains from Broadlands to Wairakei is just a blackened mass of trees. It would appear that Afforestation Proprietary’s block on the northern side of the Waikato is also destroyed, but fires are still burning in this block ahd a heavy pall of sinoke makes observation difficult, even from the air.

State Forestry officials are co-operat-ing with the private forestry companies and Navy personnel from Waiouru, who are in charge of the lines of communication, are keeping a continuous radio service operating and working with the Army. Men and vehicles were brought from Ngaruawahia. Narrowneck, and Waiouru. The Commissioner of State Forests (the Hon. C. F. Skinner) has headquarters at Taupo with the Director of State Forests Service (Mr A. R. Entrican), and a continuous air patrol is being carried out. In spite of considerable damage and the dangers faced yesterday, there h./e been no accidents and no loss of life and evacuation plans are being carried out methodically wherever danger threatens.

It is hard to estimate yet the exact area of planted forests destroyed, but this is certainly not less than 52,000 acres. It is impossible to estimate yet the amount of native bush destroyed, including valuable totara forest. but it is believed to be considerable.