THREAT TO FORESTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23273, 16 February 1939, Page 15

THREAT TO FORESTS

SCRUB FIRE AT TAUPO BLAZE STILL UNCHECKED thirty men fight flames [by telegraph —own correspondent] TAUPO. Wednesday The scrub fire which has been threateniiig the forestry plantations round Taupo is still burning freely. Last night about 11 o'clock it died down considerably owing to the wind dropping. This, together with a slight drizzling rain which began about eight o'clock this morning, gave hopes that the fire would he extinguished. The rain was light, however, and teased altogether by mid-day. It had little effect on the fire, which about three o'clock this afternoon again burst out in several places on the right-hand side of the Napier road. Fire broke out in a clump of pine trees within a few yards of the Terraces Hotel, Taupo, at 8.30 o clock to-night. It is believed that the fire had been smouldering unnoticed since yesterday. A call was immediately sent to the men employed in the Public Works Department camp at Taupo, and an appeal for help was also screened at the local cinema. A large number of volunteer fire-fighters, responded and beat out the numerous small outbreaks. By 10 o'clock the fire appeared to be extinguished. Thirty men from the State forestry camps at Kaingaroa on the Napier road did good work and fought the fire all to-day. Their efforts appeared to be successful in stamping out the fire on the left of the Tauliara Mountain side of the Napier road, which was considered tlie most dangerous area, as it contains highlyinflammable growth right up to the forestry fire-breaks. The outbreaks along the Napier road have reached a point live miles from Taupo, and they are burning fiercely in very high scrub dangerously close to the road, on the right-hand side. It was dangerous to attempt to pass the fires in a motor-car this morning. RANGITOTO OUTBREAK SLOW, SMOULDERING PROGRESS

Believed to have started last weekend, a fire similar to smouldering peat caused considerable anxiety among bach owners on Rangitoto Island yesterday. A strong wind caused the lire to spread rapidly among scrub and undergrowth close to the roadline, about threequarters of a mile from the Rangitoto Wharf, on the road to Islington Bay. The caretaker of the island, Mr. 11. J. Noble, organised residents to dig a deep trench encircling the smouldering earth, in the hope of checking the fire, which had barely reached the edge of the trench last night. Tree branches were also used to beat out the ilames whenever they threatened to spread. Since is began, the fire has spread little more than 100 yds. along a gully, where there are fortunately 110 baches. Much fine native bush is nevertheless in peril, and determined efforts will bo continued to-day to prevent the iire from extending.