Kiwirail are investigating what caused a scrub fire along a rail line in Tauranga yesterday.
The fire along Maunganui Road sent smoke billowing across the city to the nearby airport after it spread over a few kilometres before being contained by crews.
This is not the first time the area has caught fire in recent months, with locals claiming the blazes are caused by the electrical current as trains drive by.
"KiwiRail was made aware of a scrub fire near the rail line between Mt Maunganui and Tauranga, at about 3.30pm yesterday, and have closed the line to undertake a track inspection," Acting Chief Operations Officer Henare Clarke told 1 NEWS.
"Two freight services, which passed through the area this afternoon, have been inspected. KiwiRail are still investigating what may have caused the fire.
"KiwiRail has done a lot of firebreak work in the area, particularly from the Mt Maunganui freight terminal to Hewletts Road and to Te Maunga, including clearing track side vegetation. We are continually reviewing what further work could be done."
The fire was one of a number of small blazes in Tauranga yesterday.
A vegetation fire occurred between SH29 and Plateau Heights as eight different crews attended the various fires along Matapihi Road and Maunganui Roads, a Fire and Emergency spokesperson confirmed to 1 NEWS.
Fire and Emergency staff on the ground told 1 NEWS they were impressed by the quick-thinking locals, many of who grabbed garden hoses and raced to the scene of the fires to help.
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