Fire and Emergency New Zealand has placed Otago’s alpine area into a restricted fire season from 8am, Wednesday 5 February until further notice.

A restricted fire season means anyone who wants to light an outdoor fire will need a permit authorised by Fire and Emergency, which they can apply for at checkitsalright.nz.

Otago District Manager Phil Marsh says the current warm, dry weather is forecast to continue over the next few weeks, raising the fire risk in Otago’s fragile alpine environment.

"Our highlands have some of the most beautiful tussock, grass and native forest in the country - and unfortunately it’s all quite flammable," he says.

"Significant fires can ignite and spread quickly in these types of vegetation even when the fire danger isn’t that high.

"There’s very little rain expected, which means it’s especially vulnerable at present."

Fires are already restricted or prohibited in the rest of the Otago district, due to the dry summer conditions.

"The Otago district can have large uncontrolled fires all year round, whenever there are periods of dry weather," Phil Marsh says.

"The large vegetation fire on Mt Creighton in 2022 showed how quickly a significant fire can get started, with serious consequences for our environment and wildlife.

"The best way to prevent a wildfire is not to light an outdoor fire, which is why we’re restricting outdoor fires in the Otago alpine area.

"If you’re thinking about starting any kind of open-air fire, you must go to checkitsalright.nz first to find out if you can do that in your location, and what restrictions apply.

"We’re serious about protecting our people, property and environment, so we urge everyone to take extra care with fire this summer."

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