Fire and Emergency New Zealand has advised all of Canterbury will be in a prohibited fire season from 12pm Monday 23 December, until further notice.

The district stretches from north of the Rakaia River to just south of the Clarence River.

A prohibited fire season means no outdoor fires are allowed in the district and all fire permits are revoked.

Canterbury District Commander Dave Stackhouse says while current conditions have eased with rain this week, ongoing westerly winds are continuing to create dry conditions.

"The busy holiday period is upon us with greater potential for fires getting started," he says.

"This is on the back of sustained dry conditions and some large wildfires - such as Bridge Hill, Dunsandel, Kirwee and West Melton.

"We’re putting a prohibited fire season in place to provide peace of mind for people in Canterbury over the Christmas break.

"We’re also aware that farmers, forestry owners and other landowners will need to carry out some activities such as stubble-burning, so we will review the fire season status for some activities in January."

Dave Stackhouse asks people to think about fire risk before doing things that can generate heat and/or sparks and cause fires.

"If you have any queries about fire safety, there is good advice and guidance at checkitsalright.nz.

"The firefighters in Canterbury have been extremely busy with unwanted fires already this month. If we can all take care this summer, then maybe we can have a bit of a holiday break, too."

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