Thousands of hay bales go up in smoke in barn fire near Ashburton
Generic fire truck.
Photo:
RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
Fire crews south of Ashburton have been battling a large rural fire burning through around 14,000 hay bales since late on Wednesday night.
Fire and Emergency first received a 111 call to the blaze in two sheds at an agricultural contracting yard in Winslow.
The two buildings have a combined total of around 214,000 hay bales inside them.
The fire covered an area of 150m by 25m.
Seven tankers, three fire trucks, two rural fire trucks and a command unit were at the scene.
Fire and Emergency shift manager Simon Lyford said due to the hay bales burning the blaze would take some time to extinguish.
People travelling in the area might see some smoke and the occasional flame.
Lyford said there was no risk to life or homes, however, there were other buildings nearby on the yard that the fire crews were protecting.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
4 hours ago
- RNZ News
Weather: Power cuts, trees fall on SH2 in Bay of Plenty thunderstorm
File pic Photo: UnSplash/ Craig Whitehead More than 200 homes in Bay of Plenty are without power, after high winds and thunderstorms moved across the region overnight. Nearly 170 homes were cut off across Oropi and Pukehina overnight, and another 70 properties are without power in Tauranga on Wednesday. Meanwhile, State Highway 2 at Karangahake Gorge is under traffic management due to a fallen tree. The highway was earlier closed between Manawahe Road and Caverhill Road due to a downed tree but has now reopened, NZ Ttransport Agency says. UPDATE - 7:25AM This section of #SH2 is now OPEN. ^AA MetService says strong gusts peaked at 50 kilometres an hour last night. A heavy rain watch for the Bay of Plenty region was lifted at 6am. Meanwhile, MetService says there will be another round of thunderstorms today due to the low pressure system over the Tasman Sea. The low pressure system over the Tasman Sea has another serving of squally thunderstorms for us today. ⛈ This brings the risk of heavy falls, strong wind gusts and hail to western parts of the country In the South Island, Arthur's Pass and Porters Pass are both under road snowfall warnings which will expire at 9am. Around 1cm of snow is expected on both above 900 metres and after that there will be rain.
RNZ News
4 hours ago
- RNZ News
Weather: Power cuts in Bay of Plenty, SH2 closed by fallen trees
File pic Photo: UnSplash/ Craig Whitehead More than 200 homes in Bay of Plenty are without power, after high winds and thunderstorms moved across the region overnight. Nearly 170 homes were cut off across Oropi and Pukehina overnight, and another 70 properties are without power in Tauranga on Wednesday. Meanwhile, State Highway 2 at Karangahake Gorge is under traffic management due to a fallen tree. The highway was earlier closed between Manawahe Road and Caverhill Road due to a downed tree but has now reopened, NZ Ttransport Agency says. UPDATE - 7:25AM This section of #SH2 is now OPEN. ^AA MetService says strong gusts peaked at 50 kilometres an hour last night. A heavy rain watch for the Bay of Plenty region was lifted at 6am. Meanwhile, MetService says there will be another round of thunderstorms today due to the low pressure system over the Tasman Sea. The low pressure system over the Tasman Sea has another serving of squally thunderstorms for us today. ⛈ This brings the risk of heavy falls, strong wind gusts and hail to western parts of the country In the South Island, Arthur's Pass and Porters Pass are both under road snowfall warnings which will expire at 9am. Around 1cm of snow is expected on both above 900 metres and after that there will be rain.
RNZ News
16 hours ago
- RNZ News
Nelson suburb to take part in climate adaption planning
Wet weather in Nelson. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee Nelson City Council has chosen part of a central city suburb to be the first area to take part in detailed climate adaptation planning. Nelson Mayor Nick Smith said the low-lying area of The Wood is vulnerable to flooding during storms that coincide with high tides and storm surge. He said the climate adaptation approach was sensible given the inevitability of climate disruption and ongoing changes in weather patterns. The council will work with the community to assess climate risks-such as sea-level rise , flooding, and coastal erosion. It aims to develop long-term, flexible strategies to manage and reduce these risks, ensuring the city's resilience to unavoidable climate impacts over time. "This work on adaptation is about engaging with the community on how we manage these risks into the future. It is difficult work as there is significant uncertainty about future global emissions that will impact on the scale of the effects. " He said the work would complement the council's existing work to mitigate and reduce Nelson's greenhouse gas emissions. The council looked at several areas across Nelson before choosing The Wood to begin detailed adaptation planning. Staff considered how exposed each area was to climate-related risks, how vulnerable the people, environment, and local economy were, and where there was the best opportunity to work closely with the community, learn together, and share lessons that could benefit other areas too. Group manager of strategy and communications Nicky McDonald said it provided an opportunity to build a foundation for wider adaptation across Nelson. "The Wood is significantly exposed to climate-related risks, including flooding, and is home to important cultural and historical sites. The community has already shown willingness to engage, and the scale and characteristics of the area make it a practical and meaningful place to begin this work." Adaptation planning will be guided by the Protect, Avoid, Retreat and Accommodate (PARA) framework - to consider the full range of climate responses available. Council staff will now develop a comprehensive list of potential adaptation options, deepen the local climate risk assessment, undertake demographic and cost-benefit analyses, and work in partnership with the community to identify preferred adaptation pathways. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
