Mowers spark blazes despite alert

Rural fire officer Phill Wishnowsky beside the fire hazard sign on Te Ore Ore Rd. Photo/Lynda Feringa

Mowers have sparked two rural Wairarapa grass fires within hours of a warning being sounded about using the machines in such tinder-dry conditions, says regional rural fire boss Phill Wishnowsky.

Mr Wishnowsky said yesterday sparks from mowers had ignited eight rural grass fires in the district over the past fortnight, with two blazes breaking out since he raised an alert earlier this week.

A flaming stump left in the wake of a blaze on Riversdale Rd near Carterton that was blamed on sparks from a mower. Photo/Andrew Bonallack

A mower on Monday caused a grass fire at Rangitumau Rd near Masterton, he said, and a mower topping a paddock was blamed for a blaze on Wednesday at No1 Line in Tauherenikau.

The mower warning was sent to farmers' groups, district councils and commercial rural contractors "to raise their awareness the very dry conditions have made mowing a high-risk operation" and to postpone the mowing of roadside grass and topping of paddocks until the fire risk has fallen.

"It is unusual we are getting this number of fires from mowing activities and it's happening too often at the moment."

Mr Wishnowsky said the restricted fire season started for rural Wairarapa on January 7 and the fire risk was expected to rise next week from high to very high.

Several elements had combined to create the need for the topping of long grass in Wairarapa, he said, including "a reasonably cool and quite moist spring and lots of extra grass growth and stock numbers that are down throughout Wairarapa".

He said a grass fire at Waihakeke, near Carterton, last week had threatened homes and was blamed on a mower topping grass for a second time in the same area since November. Repeated topping could be more widespread this summer than usual.

"They probably wouldn't get that second round of hay because the grass has been a bit later to dry out. In the week before Christmas, all the hills were green but, by the first week of this year, everything was all brown and burnt off. I suspect lower stock numbers means less grazing, and topping is vital to keep the grass from dying completely."

Mr Wishnowsky said mower users could be liable for damages and the cost of fighting blazes unwittingly started by the machines.

Federated Farmers rural fire spokesman Anders Crofoot echoed the warning to postpone the mowing of roadside vegetation and the topping of paddocks.

"The fire environment has reached the point where it has become extremely dangerous and high risk to use a mechanical mower to top paddocks and mow roadsides," he said.

"Think twice before doing any activity that could start a fire. You will be surprised at what can start a fire in these conditions."

He urged farmers who were planning to use mowers to consult rural fire authorities first and "have precautions in place to immediately respond to and extinguish any fire".

"Another risk is using a firearm. The bullet hitting a hard surface that can cause sparks is also a risk. There has been mention of tracer bullets being sold, which have a burning part of the pellet to provide the trace, which people also need to be made aware of," he said.

"Everyone needs to remain vigilant until we start getting some rain, check whether your area is under the prohibited or restricted fire season and what that means to you."

For all fire emergencies call 111 and quote your name, address and rural property number. For more information call Wairarapa Rural Fire District at 06 370 9557 or the duty officer at 027 224 2247.