Stolen car fire spreads to toitoi bush

A torched stolen car caused a major disturbance on the outskirts of Palmerston North today after the flames spread to native bushes.

About 10 metres of toitoi bush burned near the intersection of Gillespies and Flygers lines at midnight.

Fire station officer Kerry Williams said it took firefighters about an hour to put out the bush fire. "[It] got right down into the roots and it's quite hard to get water in there."

Smoke clouds covered the road, so police set up cordons to stop traffic coming through.

Mr Williams said he could not identify the model of the car because it had been destroyed by the fire.

Police are investigating.

- © Fairfax NZ News