Fire danger soars as sun keeps on shining

Fire danger in Wairarapa is very high and in some isolated pockets is extreme, says Wairarapa principal rural fire officer Phill Wishnowsky.

There is a restricted fire season in Wairarapa and the fire risk since Monday had been upgraded to very high throughout most of the region, Mr Wishnowsky said.

Meanwhile, weather forecasters say the heatwave is here for several more days and rain could be a long way off.

Mr Wishnowsky said the region also is facing cross-over conditions, where the temperature is higher than the relative humidity and any fires that erupt are more likely to become extreme and uncontrollable.

Mr Wishnowsky said Wairarapa is split into three zones of fire risk, including a very dry crescent-shaped zone that runs from near Castlepoint through to Ngaumu, Stronvar, Taueru and into the main Ruamuhunga Valley north of Masterton to southern Greytown; a very dry pocket near Ngawi; and the rest of the region that is yet to reach "a critical state".

"The fire risk is very high throughout Wairarapa and there are some isolated pockets where the danger is extreme," he said.

He said there also are some green rural areas in Wairarapa only several kilometres distant from stretches of land that are bone dry. Mauriceville was still reasonably lush and yet there had been a fire break out at a property at Miki Miki just after 2pm on Tuesday that within minutes had blazed across more than two hectares of grass.

MetService forecaster Richard Finnie said Masterton posted a temperature of 31C and relative humidity of 24 per cent at 3pm yesterday.

The temperature reading in Masterton was the highest in Wairarapa yesterday and he predicted that up to five more days of dry, hot weather was on the way for the region.

He said Ngawi posted a temperature of 28C at 3pm and a relative humidity of 28 per cent. Fresh northeasterly winds were moderating conditions at Castlepoint, where 20C and relative humidity of 77 per cent was recorded at 3pm yesterday.

He said cloud was expected in the region on Sunday ahead of a trough moving across central New Zealand late Monday or Tuesday and a southerly change may bring rain.

"You've got quite a hot spell to come with temperatures in the low 30s right into the weekend and it looks like rain is a fair way out," Mr Finnie said.