Kūaotunu scrub fire, Coromandel

The story so far

A vegetation fire broke out on Black Jack Road near Kūaotunu on Saturday afternoon, reported shortly before 4pm, and was fuelled by pine flash and regrowth.^{11, 12 Jan 2025} The fire covered an area of about 600m by 600m, and a large scrub fire cut off access to Otama Beach and Opito Bay, so firefighters escorted vehicles out.^{11, 12 Jan 2025} Helicopters and ground crews brought the blaze under control by Sunday, but it was not contained, and crews worked in steep terrain and strong winds.^{11, 12, 13 Jan 2025} On Monday, crews returned to target hotspots, and officials said fully extinguishing the fire could take several days.^{13, 14 Jan 2025} Crews returned to the fireground to tackle deep-seated burning, which has affected an estimated nine hectares.^{14 Jan 2025}

Latest

Crews have returned to the Black Jack fireground to tackle deep-seated burning, which has affected an estimated nine hectares of steep terrain. Residents have been asked not to fly drones because of the risk to helicopters.^{14 Jan 2025}

What's next

Officials say fully extinguishing the fire may take several days.^{13 Jan 2025}

Key moments

1. 11 Jan 2025Scrub fire breaks out on Black Jack Road near Kūaotunu
2. 11 Jan 2025Large scrub fire cuts off access to Otama Beach and Opito Bay
3. 12 Jan 2025Black Jack Road closed all day Sunday; fire about 600m by 600m
4. 13 Jan 2025Fire brought under control, but full extinguishing may take days
5. 13 Jan 2025Thermal-imaging drones deployed to locate remaining pockets of fire
6. 14 Jan 2025Crews return for deep-seated burning; about nine hectares affected

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.