Five homes self evacuated on Tuesday, with some residents saying smoke was so thick they couldn't breathe. Photo: Supplied
Strong winds in Hawke's Bay are creating challenging conditions for fire crews battling several bush fires near Porangahau, with air operations now suspended for the rest of the day.
The aerial operation to put out three large bush fires near Porangahau was suspended at 10am this morning, after only three hours of dousing the flames.
Nick Bradshaw is one of four pilots who were dumping water on a 240 hectare fire, and told RNZ they arrived at 6:30am and it was very windy.
"It was not very favourable at all for flying. We managed to get a couple hours in getting some water on spots to stop it spreading any further.
"Once the conditions got too bad at 10 o'clock we pulled the pin on that and it was enough for the day," he said.
About 60 firefighters are on the ground in Porangahau trying to contain the fire, and with a strong wind watch in place for Thursday, the helicopters might still be unable to operate.
"I don't think we'll get back looking at the forecast.
"We're just on standby at the moment, wait and see what the morning brings but they are talkng worse winds than what we've had over the previous two days," he said.
Bradshaw said the terrain was quite remote and steep forestry, which made it challenging for fire crews on the ground.
"Four wheeler access is probably your best bet, aerial is always a bonus to get onto it quicker," he said.
The largest fire is near Sale Yard Bridge and about 245 hectares in size, another fire on Schaeffer Road is covering 10 hectares and the third blaze is about five hectares on Bush Road.
Five homes self evacuated on Tuesday, including the Galbraith's who told RNZ the smoke was so thick they couldn't breathe.
Rich Galbraith said they stayed with family overnight, and it was a relief to see several helicopters arrive this morning because ground fire crews are struggling to access the area.
"What do you do? They can't get up around the hills as it's too far for the hoses so it was just sit and wait in the village and see if it got this far so they could do something.
"Now the helicopters are here it definitely makes you feel better, just to get rid of that smoke - our house is terrible," he said.
The Galbraith's home on Old Hill Road is surrounded by smoke Photo: Supplied
But at about 11am, Incident Controller Tony Kelly said weather conditions have forced the air operation to be suspended.
"Both fires are unable to be fought from the air due to high winds. Ground crews are working at both to ensure the fires are contained."
He said the pressure is on to extinguish the fires, with more wind forecast.
"With the wind picking up again tomorrow, we know we have to make the most of today.
"I would like to reiterate to everyone the message of checking your previous outdoor fires ahead of tomorrow to ensure they are fully extinguished and to light no new outdoor fires," said Kelly.
Galbraith said the largest fire is near Porangahau River and another is up on the hills behind the village, very near to his home.
"I looked outside yesterday and you couldn't see 200 metres... it got too hard to breathe in our house so we left.
"But the main fire today is coming around the main road, so all the smoke is directed at the village," he said.
Fire and Emergency said they have 50 firefighters on the job.
"We're making good progress but it is quite windy and we are monitoring the weather," said a spokesperson.
Porangahau residents are being urged to stay indoors and keep their windows closed.
FENZ said evacuations are not anticipated on Wednesday, but people in the area should remain prepared with a go-bag in case conditions change.
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