Fire risk remains high for South Island

24 December 2015

High temperatures, low humidity and strong winds will mean no respite in the extreme fire danger facing many parts of the South Island in the next 10 days, says Rural Fire Manager Tim Mitchell.

Mr Mitchell said the fire danger was high along the eastern side of the South Island, particularly North Canterbury, Marlborough and Central Otago.

“The east coast had some rain last week, but not enough to make any real dent in the fire danger, plus the recent high temperatures and strong winds have dried out much of the remaining moisture.”

In response to the extreme fire danger, nearly half of the South Island’s fire authorities have banned all outdoor fires.

Mr Mitchell urged anyone unsure of whether fires were banned or not to contact their local rural fire authority. “Ignorance is no defence. Bans are for everyone’s safety – yours and those around you.”

He urged caution when using lawn mowers, weed-eaters, tractors, grinders, welders and other equipment that could create sparks. Such work should not be done in the heat of the day, he said.

“Also, take care when venturing into the outdoors and during New Year celebrations. Have fun, but be careful with things such as motorbikes and vehicles, which can cause wildfires if they come into contact with long, dry grass. And don’t let off those fireworks stored away from Guy Fawkes.”

Mr Mitchell said people vastly underestimated how fast fires could travel, especially when
conditions were dry and windy.

“Fires are easy to start, but hard and costly to put out, as the recent Wairau Valley fire amply demonstrated. Plantation owners lost 1,200 hectares of trees worth about $30 million, and the cost of fighting that fire is likely to reach $2 million – which will be borne by those who started the fire.”

He said he was encouraged the public were listening to warnings from their local fire authorities, and he urged them to continue to be careful when doing outdoor activities.

ENDS

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