Dairy farmer Andrew Reymer was full of praise for firefighters – but less for New Zealand Rail – after fire broke out beside a track bordering his property this week.
Te Awamutu firefighters at the scene. Photo: Supplied
Eighteen firefighters and five appliances went to the scene at Ōhaupō late Monday afternoon to deal with a fire which had stretched to 200 metres and had jumped the tracks.
Reymer dialled 111 after being alerted to the fire by a neighbour and said firefighters from Te Awamutu and Pirongia were on the scene quickly.
Te Awamutu’s senior station officer Danny Smith said further checks would be made at the scene on Tuesday after this edition went to press.
The scene of the fire
He said the vegetation in the area was particularly dry and it was likely the fire was ignited by a spark from a train.
“We’ve not had that many vegetation fires this season – but there is a month to go,” he said.
Reymer pointed the finger at New Zealand Rail, saying they were the worst of neighbours and should clean up the land alongside tracks.
Fire on the Ohaupo farm
“They started mulching the gorse a while back and left a nice two inch layer of it to dry out – it is a problem waiting to happen,” he said.
The farm is on peat land and the failure to deal with vegetation increased the risk of a fire engulfing peat and spreading.
Had that happened, it would have compromised the track, Reymer said.
Down on the farm: Andrew Reymer and Liz Stolwyk in the cow shed of their Ōhaupō farm. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
