Frost machinery goes up in flames | Hawkes Bay News | Local News in Hawkes Bay

A Puketapu vineyard has suffered a big loss after heating machinery used to battle the overnight frost burst into flames.

The fire, reported to the Fire Service at 1.06am, destroyed the heating unit and a large tractor used to tow it, Taradale volunteer fire chief Dennis Bristow said.

He understood the machinery had returned to an implement shed for refuelling at a vineyard on Dartmoor Rd, and east of Apley Rd, when it's operator noticed sparks coming from the rear of the heating unit, which ignited almost immediately.

The fire was thought to have spread across leaking diesel and engulfed the tractor. Mr Bristow said: "By the time we got there, there wasn't a lot to save."

The fire was still burning, but fortunately the vehicles were not in the shed, and it was not damaged.

One appliance from Taradale and an appliance and tanker from Napier were sent to the fire, which burned as helicopters hovered over other properties in the area trying to protect crops from the frost.

After fearing the worst for their stock, Hawke's Bay hill country farmers have been pleasantly surprised by what they have found following the sudden cold snap.

There have still been significant losses but early reports have suggested not on the scale imagined.

Federated Farmers Hawke's Bay president Kevin Mitchell said while it was early days and farmers were still assessing the damage wrought by the three-day blitz, things were not as bad as they could have been.

"There really hasn't been enough time, but a couple I have got hold of have been pleasantly surprised," he said.

"Certainly there have been quite large losses. I couldn't put a number on it, but the couple who got back to me said it was not as many as feared.

"But of course we're battening down the hatches for another round."

 MetService is forecasting snow down to 500m for tomorrow and Saturday, likely to affect roads at altitude.

Patoka farmer Callum Thomsen said he had just finished docking and just started hogget lambing when the snow arrived.

"It came in pretty quickly, we might have had a foot out the back of the farm but luckily it turned to rain and that got rid of the snow as well as anything."

He said in losing 50 to 100 lambs and a handful of ewes he had "got away a bit lightly really".

"I think some people further up the way, towards Puketitiri, are still under quite a bit of snow."

Major losses seem to be restricted to the top of the Bay.

Otamauri farmer Michael Hindmarsh said they had received the biggest dump the area had seen for 66 years.

"Fortunately we had finished docking and lambs were of an age where they could handle it," he said.

"It would have been unpleasant for them, but animal life was all right."

Meanwhile orchardists and grapegrowers say the early spring has been offset by the wintry blast, with growth slowed, but the weather had not greatly impacted fruit. A light frost this morning was easily kept at bay, grape grower Xan Harding said.

• More weather pictures on Pages 6 and 15.