Hawke's Bay has had a spate of suspicious scrub fires with about seven blazes in two weeks, local firefighters say.
Emergency services are investigating a suspicious fire that erupted in Omahu, near Hastings last month. Photo: RNZ / Tom Kitchin
Some of the fires have been up to a hectare in size, forcing people to evacuate from their homes.
Most have been around Napier and Hastings.
Hawke's Bay principal rural fire officer Trevor Mitchell told RNZ it was a concern in the heat of summer.
"We'll often get a spate of arson fires in a particular area, and that's not uncommon, but these are fairly wide ranging across the district."
His message to the arsonists was simple: "Stop being stupid and think about other people and the effect on other people."
He also asked the public to be aware.
"If they see anything, if they can get a registration number or a description of somebody acting suspiciously or if they see someone starting a fire, advise the police straight away and call 111 for the fire and emergency services to attend."
Mitchell said Fire and Emergency was working with police to find those responsible.