The farmer saved a new shed by pulling out the burning tractor

On Tuesday at 18:30, fire services received a report of a building fire near Tikokino. Five fire appliances and two support vehicles from Tikokino, Ongarue, Waipawa, and Hastings arrived at the scene. By 19:45, the spread of the fire was contained through the efforts of crews from Tikokino and Ongarue.

According to Tikokino Volunteer Fire Brigade Chief Andrew Robertson, the owner noticed the fire on Tuesday evening and managed to move the machinery outside. While the tractor itself was completely burnt, quick action saved the building itself and the expensive equipment inside. Although firefighters do not condone risking lives, the owner pulled off a successful rescue. According to preliminary data, the cause of the incident was an electrical fault rather than a bird's nest, which is typical for the spring period. Before leaving, firefighters used a thermal imaging camera to search for hot spots and doused the ceiling and the tires of other machinery in the shed with water.

Earlier, on October 28, at another farm in Central Hawke's Bay on Farm Rd, a fire broke out in a 17 by 8 metre shed, which was fully engulfed in flames. Waipukurau Deputy Chief Fire Officer Glen Millar stated that there, the cause of the fire was likely a bird's nest in the tractor after clearing waterways.

According to rural insurer FMG, over the past three years, more than 100 claims have been filed regarding tractor fires caused by birds' nests, accounting for 32% of all such insurance cases. Annually, such incidents cost approximately $1.2 million. Most of these cases are recorded during the starling breeding season from September to December. In this regard, specialists remind everyone of the need to check machinery engines for the presence of nests before starting work.