Northland still at high risk of fire

Wet weather has done little to dampen Northland's fire risk.
Northland region fire commander Trevor Andrews is urging Northlanders to stay vigilant against fire, saying rain over the long weekend has had little effect on dry conditions.
Last week Northland fire fighters were kept busy fighting several scrub fires, the worst of which destroyed precious Department of Conservation land at Te Paki where about 200 hectares burned, and Kaimaumau, where another 200 hectares burned.
Mr Andrews warned the public not to be fooled into thinking that rain had reduced the fire risk.
"Basically it's hardly wet the ground. According to our weather stations we've had one to eight millimetres in some areas.
"Other areas haven't had any. The Far North has had no rain," he said yesterday afternoon.
Mr Andrews said the weekend's rain had barely "wet the dust". Far North scrub land remained in "extreme fire danger".
"We are just asking people to exercise care and caution. Don't let your guard down."
For instance, he said anybody operating machinery outside, mowing lawns or driving off the roadside should take care to avoid creating sparks that might ignite vegetation.
Fire restrictions were now active in the Far North, Whangarei and Kaipara districts. Anybody wanting to light a fire outdoors had to apply for a permit.
Mr Andrews said investigators were looking into the Kaimaumau wildfire which had "no natural causes apparent". The Te Paki fire was caused by a car crash.
He said Far North firefighters were recovering from the long hours worked last week but still had plenty to do.
"Now they've cleaned up the fire but all the equipment needs cleaning. Kilometres of hose needs to be washed of ash, dirt and mud, then dried," he said.