Northwest Auckland wildfire: Smoke billows from bush near Whenuapai

A smoke advisory has been issued to motorists as a bush fire sends large plumes of grey and white smoke over parts of northwest Auckland, including a nearby motorway during rush hour. Smoke clouds were spotted by locals late this afternoon, with one worker saying he could he could hear “lots of sirens”.At 5pm Fire and Emergency issued a notice to motorists using the Upper Harbour Motorway between Westgate and Brigham Creek warning they may notice smoke from a vegetation burning in the Trig Rd area. “We have a large number of firetrucks and firefighters responding in the area. Please drive cautiously,” it read.A local resident said the fire has broken out near the Whenuapai Air Force Base but not at the base.A video of the blaze, believed to have started near Trig Rd, shows the smoke drifting over the nearby motorway. Another witness wrote on social media that they saw “lots of fire engines coming from Albany to the fire now”.North Shore residents say they can see and smell smoke drifting over Beach Haven.Thick clouds of smoke billow into the sky over northwest Auckland.“I’d be closing your windows; that smoke is going to keep coming in thick for a while,” another nearby local posted on socia media. Police said they were not in attendance.A large column of smoke from a vegetation fire seen from the Upper Harbour Bridge. Photo / Dean Purcell.Large smoke clouds were seen rising near Whenuapai in north west Auckland.