Quick-thinking farmer uses another tractor to pull burning tractor from shed

A quick-thinking farmer saved his new implement shed after pulling his burning tractor out with another tractor. 

Fire and Emergency firefighters were called on Tuesday at 6.30pm to reports of a shed fire near Tikokino, which turned out to be the Case MX110 tractor on fire. 

Five pumps and two tankers responded from Tikokino, Ongaonga, Waipawa and Hastings. 

The fire was contained by 7.45pm after the response was scaled down to crews from Tikokino and Ongaonga. 

Tikokino Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Andrew Robertson said it was a lucky save by the owner. 

“He discovered the fire on Tuesday evening and was able to get the tractor out of the shed. 

“Although we never advocate for putting yourself in danger, the contents of the shed and the building itself were saved thanks to their quick actions.” 

He said the fire was not started by a bird’s nest, which is typical of tractor fires in spring. 

“It’s a timely reminder to check your tractor engines for nests before you start them,” he warned. 

Robertson said while there wasn’t one cause that stood out, he suspected an electrical fault. 

“The tractor was a total loss ... he had a couple of big expensive bits of machinery in the shed as well, and it was a fairly new shed; it was a very good save.” 

Before leaving, firefighters watered down the tyres of other machines in the shed and the ceiling, after hot spots were detected by a thermal imaging camera. 

Last week, a bird’s nest in a tractor likely started a large fire that swept through a different Central Hawke’s Bay farm shed. 

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokeswoman said crews were called to that fire at Farm Rd, near Landfill Access Rd, about 10am on October 28 with two water tankers. 

On arrival, crews found a 17m by 8m shed fully involved, and stopped it from spreading further. 

Waipukurau deputy fire chief Glen Millar said that fire was likely started by a bird’s nest in a tractor after machinery had been used to clear waterways on the farm. 

Rural insurer FMG said birds’ nests accounted for about $1.2 million in tractor fire claims annually. 

Over the past three years, FMG had received more than 100 tractor fire claims linked to birds’ nests, accounting for 32% of all tractor fire claims during that period. 

The majority of tractor fire claims caused by birds’ nests that FMG saw were during the starling breeding season, which typically ran from September to December. 

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.