Fire and Emergency New Zealand has now placed around three-quarters of Hawke’s Bay into either a restricted or prohibited fire season, until further notice.

As of 8am, Wednesday 4 December, the Heretaunga-Ahuriri area has moved to a prohibited fire season, and Wairoa Inland, Tukituki East, Pōrangahau, and the southern Hawke’s Bay coast have moved to a restricted fire season.

This is in addition to Wairoa Coast, Esk-Tutaekuri, and Tukituki West, which went into restricted fire seasons last month, and leaves just a quarter of the district with an open fire season.

The zones which remain in an open fire season until further notice are: Te Haroto, Tararua West, Tararua Central, Tararua East, Tararua South, Pahiatua, and Eketāhuna.

Hawke’s Bay District Manager Glen Varcoe says the fire season changes are because these areas are drying out faster in the hot, dry, and windy weather, and the number of fires is increasing.

"Fire and Emergency has responded to 27 vegetation fire callouts in the last 30 days in Heretaunga-Ahuriri alone," he says.

"Last week, we cancelled fire permits issued to applicants in the Heretaunga-Ahuriri area because weather conditions had changed, and we could see the fire risk increasing rapidly. Now we are prohibiting open-air fires in this area to prevent further incidents."

During a prohibited fire season, there is a ban on open-air fires, as any fire could easily spread and get out of control. Only gas or charcoal barbecues can be used.

A restricted season means people have to apply for permits to light fires, and they must meet requirements to keep those fires under control.

"There’s no significant rain forecast in the next two weeks, which means the fire risk will increase," Glen Varcoe says.

"We haven’t ruled out increasing the restrictions further if the district continues to dry out.

"We’re taking these precautions to keep people and their property safe, and to protect our environment," he says.

"If you’re not sure which zone you’re in, go to checkitsalright.nz , where you can enter your address and find out. The website advises on the risk for different types of fire activity and provides fire safety advice."

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