Tourists flee as blaze guts coach

Press, 1 February 1986, Page 8

Tourists flee as blaze guts coach

PA Whangarei About 30 Australian tourists fled to safety when their coach burst into flames in the Waipoua Forest on Thursday.

Efforts to extinguish the blaze failed and the Newmans Coachlines, Ltd, coach valued about $285,000, was destroyed. The visitors’ luggage was removed from the coach before it became engulfed by the flames, and only two small carrybags left inside were lost. The fire began soon after 3 p.m. when the bus Was at the southern end of the forest. A coach from

Kaikohe picked up the passengers about two hours later, and took them to' thejr overnight destination at Whangarei. The tourists took the incident in their stride, said Newmans’ Kaikohe branch manager, Mr lan Hamilton. Some had joked they had had an extra barbecue. ’ The tour party had travelled from Kaitaia, crossed the Hokianga Harbour by ferry, and continued south on State highway 12 in the Napierbased coach. ’ In the forest the driver, Mr Rex Harwood, of Napier, looked in his rear view mirror to see flames coming from under the bus. He promptly stopped and got everyone out He used a fire extinguisher, but was unable to put the /ire out. ; A passing motorist alerted the Forest Service, which arrived with a water tanker about 15 minutes later, but was unable to save the bus. It was thought the fire started in the engine compartment of the dieselpowered coach, but he did not know the cause, Mr Hamilton said.