Large scrub fire in Taupo

  • Breaking
  • 21/01/2013

A large scrub fire has broken out in Taupo's Spa Thermal Park.

Fire appliances and a helicopter with a monsoon bucket are being used to battle the blaze.

The Spa Hotel is located only several hundred metres from the fire.

Employee Scott Rankin says the flames are tearing through the dry bushland at an alarming pace.

“There’s a raging fire at the moment,” he says. “It’s coming our way I think. It is 300 metres into the bush at the moment, but the wind’s blowing our way and it might jump over.”

The fire was initially a threat to a number of homes, but Taupo District Council emergency manager Phil Parker says teams have managed to halt the spread of flames towards the residential area.

“We’ve hit that,” he says. “We’ve got that down. Now we’ve just got around the hotel and up that area, so that’s what we’re concentrating on.”

Emergency services have closed several roads in the area.

Watch the video for witness footage from the fire.

RadioLIVE

source: newshub archive