Low water for fire

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 228, 26 January 1988, Page 1

Low water for fire

Low mams pressure severely hampered the progress of the Raetihi Volunteer Fire Brigade last Sunday as they battled to contain an unauthorised grass burn-off. The Brigade were called out at 5.09pm to a section adjacent to the M a o r i cemetery in Raetihi which was well alight, the fire being fanned by moderate winds. Chief Fire Officer Alex Weir said the Brigade feared for the safety of a nearby home and managed to extinguish the fire before it spread to neighbouring paddocks. "Had the wind been stronger the result could

have been very different, he said. Mr Weir said the water pressure was very low and made extinguishing the blaze very difficult. The Bulletin was unable to contact Borough Forcman Craig Ryland who is on holiday, to establish the reason for .'.he low pressure. Sourccs in the town pinpointed a broken main as the cause but this has yet to be verificd. Mr Weir said applications for fire permits should be made to local Chief Fire Officers to prevent a repeat of last week's incident.