As of 9am, the alert was no longer in place according to Fire and Emergency New Zealand.
A Fire and Emergency spokesman said the initial response on Sunday included three helicopters, three urban pumping trucks, two tankers and three rural vehicles.
As of Monday at 10.26am, 45 personnel, made up of firefighters and forestry workers and one digger remained at the scene.
“They are just working with ground crews, establishing a working perimeter.”
The spokesman said this was to contain the fire within that area.
“You have got an area that’s on fire, and we establish a perimeter around it, and once that is done, it is then contained, and they can work on full extinguishment.”
A Pan Pac spokeswoman said the cause of the fire was unknown.
“Pan Pac had suspended forestry operations in its forests over the weekend.
“The fire spread across Pohukura Rd into DoC land near the start of Bell Rock Loop Track.
“Approximately 20ha of pine forests has been burned. Pohokura Rd is closed, and campers and DoC workers have been evacuated from the Bell Rock area.”
Kelly Eaton, DoC’s acting operations manager, Hawke’s Bay District, said rangers were expected to examine the damage and support suppression efforts.
“We understand the fire has entered the Reserve but thanks to the dedicated efforts of Fire and Emergency, Pan Pac, helicopter operators, and the community overnight, the spread has been minimal within Public Conservation Land.”
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.