“She said, ‘Uncle, there’s a big fire down Colin White Rd. It’s going off’,” he said.
“She reckons there was big explosions.”
Makoare arrived on the scene to find a “big fire” about 10 minutes after the call.
There he found a man from Feilding who had stopped his truck on the road to call police.
“He said to me one of the things that really stood out for him was there was a lot of cars that passed and never actually stopped,” he said.
“I realise we’re all busy, but somebody could have been in the car. You almost want to know.”
The remains of a car after being damaged by fire on State Highway 2 early on Wednesday morning. Photo / Zack Makoare
Makoare said he didn’t believe anyone was in the car and hadn’t heard anything to the contrary.
He said it was important to keep in touch with your community when situations like this arose.
“No matter where you are, ring the neighbour if there’s something that’s suspicious.
“We do rely on the police and I think this is a good time for us to all stand up.”
Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand.