Rain not enough to change fire danger

25 Huitanguru 2020

Rain over the weekend has not changed the fire danger levels across the country, warns Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

Manager Rural Fire Tim Mitchell says given how dry conditions have been, the rain experienced over the past few days has not been enough to lower the wildfire risk to the point fire restrictions can be eased.

“There is still plenty of dead dry vegetation around.  After the rain stops, warm and windy conditions quickly dry the vegetation again meaning there is still a great deal of fuel for fires.”

“Even though there has been some rain, the fire seasons have not changed. We want everyone to continue to be careful - one spark is all it takes to start a fire.”

Fire and Emergency is continuing to monitor the conditions closely as further rain is possible for some areas of the country later this week.

“Please pay attention to the fire season in your area. If you are in an area where there is a total fire ban, no fires are permitted – including rubbish fires.”

Go to www.checkitsalright.nz to check the fire season status in your area and find information on how you can reduce the risk of fire.

Some safety tips

• Be careful when driving any vehicles or machinery through roadside vegetation.
• If you have to use any machinery such as lawnmowers, welding, or a plough, please do this in the morning or evenings - during the cooler parts of the day.
• Make sure any permitted fires or historic burn sites from the past two months are fully extinguished. Even though they may seem out they have the potential to remain hot and flare up in these conditions.