Upper Hutt Fire: Thick Black Smoke Rises as Crews Tackle Blaze Near Remutaka Cycle Trail

If you’ve been driving along the Remutaka Cycle Trail or taking in the stunning views across the Akatarawa Valley this afternoon, you couldn’t have missed it. A massive plume of thick, black smoke has been rising into the sky over Upper Hutt – the kind of sight that stops you in your tracks and leaves you staring for a minute.

I’ve just come back from taking a look at the scene, and what the crews on the ground are telling me is that the blaze is at a car wreckers out in the rural part of the valley. The smoke is so dense and dark because of all those hydrocarbons going up – old tyres, oil, plastics. A nasty cocktail, to say the least. Crews have been hitting it hard since just after lunch, and they’re still going flat out. They’ve closed the main road through the area, so if you were planning to head out to pick up some firewood or check on a farm location out that way, take my advice: give it a wide berth and find another route.

This isn’t just a quick scrub fire. We’re talking about a significant structure blaze. I was chatting to one of the volunteers earlier – a fella I’ve known for years who helps run one of the local brigades – and he reckons the biggest challenge right now is the wind. It’s shifting just enough to make the containment lines tricky. But they’ve got tankers rolling in from across the region, and you can see them setting up a proper water relay.

You know, it makes you think about a special project back in 2003 that came out of Massey University, looking specifically at the threat of fire in rural Upper Hutt. A lot of the academics back then pointed out that the wildland-urban interface out here – where the bush meets lifestyle blocks and heavy industry – is a high-risk zone. They warned that a fire in the wrong place, with the right conditions, could escalate fast. Watching this today, you can’t help but feel the weight of that research. It’s not just theory when you’re standing there feeling the heat on your face.

The good news is that the wind is pushing the smoke away from the main residential areas and the Akatarawa Valley Retreat. I know a few people who own those gorgeous little holiday spots tucked away back in the ranges, and they’ve been calling around making sure everything’s alright. It’s a huge relief that this is contained to the industrial site.

For anyone looking at a map and wondering about the wider area, here’s the lay of the land right now:

• The fire is primarily at the car wreckers, but crews are protecting nearby businesses like Upper Hutt Firewood Supplies Ltd.
• The main arterial road is closed between the roundabout and the turn-off for the Remutaka cycle trail.
• If you’ve booked a 2 bedroom holiday home with outdoor bath & sauna in the area for the long weekend, your spot is fine for now – just check the traffic updates before you head in.
• Residents on the rural fringes are being asked to stay alert and keep their windows shut due to the smoke.

It’s a chaotic afternoon for the valley, but I’ve got to say, the response has been seriously impressive. The crews are looking after the rural locals and making sure the stunning views that make this part of the world so special aren’t going to be scarred permanently. We’ll be keeping an eye on it as the sun goes down.

If you’re heading home from work or planning to hit the cycle trail for a ride later in the week, just give the area a wide berth for the next few hours. Let the pros do their job. We’ll have a clearer picture on containment once the wind drops off after dinner.