Rain quells fears of N.I. fire outbreak

Press, 9 February 1983, Page 6

Rain quells fears of N.I. fire outbreak

PA Wellington A heavy downpour of rain last evening quelled fears that a huge scrub fire in the central North Island might again flare out of control. But 100 Forest Service men will go into the area today to douse hot spots and cut down burnt-out trees to prevent any more outbreaks. The district forest ranger of the. Hawke's Bay conservatory, Mr M. Benjamin, said that 60 men and six helicopters equipped with monsoon buckets fought two main outbreaks yesterday afternoon as winds reaching 50 knots lashed the area.

At 6 p.m. men in the field reported heavy rain in the area, and the main concern then was to get the men out quickly before nightfall. The rain and low visibility also made flying treacherous for the helicopters, he said. However, Mr Benjamin said he still did not consider the fire over. “We are not taking any chances whatsoever," he said. Mr Benjamin said the 17,000 ha of land burnt out was a “huge area, with very long fire lines. It is certainly bigger than the average gorse fire. “If rain keeps going maybe it will extinguish it. But I

won’t sleep at night until I see 100 mm of rain, because that is what it will take to extinguish the fire. You just cannot trust it with those winds" The Forest Service's deputy chief fire control officer, Mr Peter Amner, said in Wellington yesterday that the fire had destroyed an important watershed in the area and serious erosion was likely for many years as a result. Large areas of native red tussock, a plant noted both for its beauty and for its ability to stabilise soil, are believed to have been destroyed in the blaze and could take many years to recover.