Fire and Emergency has responded to 27 vegetation fire callouts in the last 30 days in Heretaunga-Ahuriri alone.
Fire and Emergency has responded to 27 vegetation fire callouts in the last 30 days in Heretaunga-Ahuriri alone.
Tararua remains in open fire season status, as restrictions and fire bans hit most of Hawke’s Bay and Central Hawke’s Bay.
Fire and Emergency NZ continually monitors the country, and says it will advise when fire seasons change, after announcing it had placed about three-quarters of Hawke’s Bay into either a restricted or prohibited fire season, until further notice.
As of 8am Wednesday, 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 a quarter of the district with an open fire season.
The zones that 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 said the fire season changes were because the areas were drying out faster in the hot, dry, and windy weather, and the number of fires was increasing.
“Fire and Emergency has responded to 27 vegetation fire callouts in the last 30 days in Heretaunga-Ahuriri alone.
“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,” he said.
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 must apply for fire permits and must meet requirements to keep those fires under control.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand has now placed around three-quarters of Hawke’s Bay into either a restricted or prohibited fire season.
“There’s no significant rain forecast in the next two weeks, which means the fire risk will increase,” Glen Varcoe said.
“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.”
