Titahi Bay fire update #4

12 Kohitātea 2024

Eliminating hotspots is the aim for firefighters for the remainder of Friday at the Titahi Bay vegetation fire.

The status of the fire has remained largely unchanged this afternoon as hotspots continue to pop up, which the crews then dampen down.

The three helicopters working during the morning were grounded between 1pm and 3pm as fewer hotspots appeared, but one was called back into action after 3pm to assist with hotspots.

Two ground crews will continue to work on hotspots until dusk, and a crew will remain on the scene overnight to monitor the fire. Crews will be on the scene again on Saturday with high winds forecast.

Incident Controller Mike Dombroski says the helicopters and crews have done an excellent job throughout the day.

"It was our goal to get this fire knocked down as much as possible during the favourable conditions we had today.

"We’ve been able to do that, but there is always the risk of a flare up, so having a presence overnight will ensure we can keep on top of any flareups or hotspots that do emerge."

A drone team will be in operation this evening and overnight to assist with monitoring hotspots.

This will the final update for today unless significant developments occur.