Fire and Emergency New Zealand will restrict outdoor fires in the Bay of Plenty from 8am on Wednesday 4 December, after a sharp increase in the number of fast-moving vegetation fires in the district.

Bay of Plenty District Manager Jeff Maunder says there have been 69 vegetation fires in the last month, and three of these were significant.

"Most of the fires were the result of burn piles getting out of control, after people didn’t check forecasts or failed to extinguish the fires properly," Jeff Maunder says.

"The three biggest fires in the last month caused a considerable amount of damage to the community and the environment. These were a scrub fire at Te Kaha on 13 November, a vegetation fire which got into orchards in Te Puna on 21 November, and a fast-moving slash fire in the Purataru-Rapuke Forest on 27 November."

A restricted fire season means anyone who wants to light an open-air fire will need to obtain a permit first, which you can apply for at checkitsalright.nz.

"This spring has been a particularly dry season for the Bay of Plenty so far, which means heightened fire risk as we head into the beginning of summer," Jeff Maunder says.

"We haven’t had a lot of rain, and what we have had isn’t making much difference to the dry conditions. We still have a lot of warm winds, which is making the vegetation even drier. The forecast for the next couple of weeks looks to be more of the same."

The Bay of Plenty includes half a million hectares of commercial forestry, and more than a million hectares of Department of Conservation land. These areas are mostly surrounded by grasses and scrub which can transfer fires rapidly to forested areas.

"The Bay of Plenty attracts many visitors to its beaches and towns over the summer, and we’re calling on everyone to be vigilant with fire or engaging in activities which could create sparks," Jeff Maunder says.

"If you’re starting to plan a fire, always go to checkitsalright.nz to see if you need to apply for a permit, and if it is safe to light a fire, and then follow the advice provided."

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