Scrub fire on Basin Reserve grass stand, no damage

A fire on one of the grass banks of the Basin Reserve ground in Wellington on Sunday was contained without any damage to the ground's property or stands.

The fire broke out on one of the banks shortly after 1.30pm, according to local media reports. The Dominion Post reported that firefighters put out the flames on the ground's outer fence by around 1.50pm, while 3 News reported that 100 square metres of shrubs and bushes had been scorched in the fire. The fire also caused traffic jams in the central part of the city, as firefighters closed traffic lanes to put out the blaze.

The Basin Reserve will host New Zealand's domestic matches in the T20, List A and first-class formats in the forthcoming season. The next international fixture at the ground is the ODI against Pakistan in January 2016, which will be the first one-day international at the ground since March 2005. It is also expected to host Brendon McCullum's 100th Test when Australia visit for a tour that includes the first properly contested Chappell-Hadlee one-day cup since 2010. The ground hosted a Test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in January this year but was not allotted any matches during the 2015 World Cup.