Date: December 6th 2013

Restricted fire season for Hastings District and Napier City

The major urban areas of Hawke’s Bay will both move to a restricted fire season on Monday 9th December.

Despite some rain in the past two weeks, the undergrowth in parts of Hastings District and Napier City is very dry, and there have been a number of potentially serious fires.

Hastings District Council Team Leader Emergency Management Trevor Mitchell “The restricted fire season begins at 8am on Monday morning and during this period a permit must be obtained before any fire is lit in the open.”

Trevor Mitchell says “We are now entering a period of higher fire danger and we ask that everyone is extra vigilant when dealing with fires The weather forecast for the next 10 days shows a few showers but the temperatures will be warm, ranging between 25 and 29 degrees. The high temperatures and windy weather will cause vegetation to dry out even further and not following some simple rules may be enough to spark a major blaze.”

“During the restricted fire season, anyone lighting a small fire for traditional cooking or in a container (such as an approved incinerator or brazier), won’t need to obtain a permit unless the fire is set to burn after sunset and before sunrise. These types of fires must be watched closely until they are completely extinguished and must not be lit in windy conditions or close to flammable material or buildings. We encourage the use of gas barbecues or similar outdoor gas appliances,” Trevor Mitchell says.

For advice on fires or anyone on a rural property who is contemplating lighting a fire should contact their Council on (06) 871 5000 for Hastings or (06) 8357579 for Napier.

Any sightings of unattended fires should be reported immediately to 111.

Further information on fire restrictions in Hastings District is available at www.hastingsdc.govt.nz/fire-restrictions

More information on lighting fires in Napier City is available at www.napier.govt.nz

ENDS

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