Dam water used to douse fire

Water worries hampered firefighters on Te Parae Road, Masterton, yesterday as they battled a bushfire at Te Parae while trucks ferried water several kilometres. A helicopter fetched water from a nearby dam to douse the fire, which may have been caused by a fallen power line, while firetrucks pumped from two other nearby dams or ferried from Wainuioru. “The dams are very low. Water is a concern,” principal rural fire officer Phill Wishnowsky said at the scene. “We have to make the best use of the water we can get hold of.” He said firefighters were “making progress” containing the fire in a pine tree plantation, with 28 men on the ground initially, including professional firefighters and rural volunteers. Electricity workers were also at the scene preparing to restore power to the areaIn the early evening, a tanker from Juken New Zealand Ltd was despatched to the scene.