Ash warning after blaze engulfs home

SIMPLE SOLUTION: Masterton senior firefighter Richard King says a metal bucket is a simple and cost-effective solution to help stop fires caused by disposed fire ash.PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA

Masterton fire brigade is urging residents to dispose their fire ash correctly, following a fire in Cambridge Terrace last week.

Masterton station officer Kevin Smith said ash fires were very common, with more than 50 recorded nationally each year since 2010.

"People put the ash in all sorts of places, under a hedge or on the compost heap, but what they don't know is that the ash can smoulder for days."

Mr Smith said the weather could contribute to ash fires and the embers could stay hot for a long time.

"We had a fire a few years ago in Lansdowne where a lady had put the ash in her garden next to the house.

"There were wooden sides and piles and one afternoon the wind got up and basically set the bottom of the house on fire.

"It was about a week prior when she put the ash in the garden."

Senior firefighter Richard King said there were simple steps people could take to help prevent these fires.

"The best thing to do is put the ash in a metal bucket and wet it with water, then put it on a non-combustible surface like concrete. Leave it to cool overnight then you can put it on the garden."

He said metal buckets were reasonably priced and that recycling bins, wheelie bins and plastic buckets were not good alternatives. If people wanted to be extra careful they could leave their ash outside for seven days.