By DANIEL JACKSON
New Zealand is expected to remain at the mercy of a high fire risk for weeks.
Though rain dampened the upper half of the North Island yesterday, it did little to relieve parched conditions over the rest of the North Island and the eastern South Island, where fire restrictions are in force.
Predictions issued yesterday by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research indicate the outlook will stay the same until autumn.
Fires have blackened about 7000ha of the countryside this summer. National Rural Fire Officer Murray Dudfield fears that figure could double.
"We are predicting around 15,000ha ... it may be less, it may be more, we won't know until the end of April."
"It would take a good inch of rain in Wellington to bring the fire danger down while in Marlborough it would probably need two inches."
Until the risk abated, people had to remain vigilant in parched areas and try to reduce the risk of fire.
"Almost all fires are preventable. Only 2 per cent of the country's fires are from lightning strikes."
Firefighters remained in the field near Picton last night, dampening hot spots from a blaze that threatened houses and a mussel processing plant.
The fire covered about 100ha of steep land.
Projections issued yesterday by Niwa on behalf of the National Rural Fire Authority predicted that weather patterns this month would keep the fire danger high.
Extreme fire danger levels in areas including central Marlborough, north and central Canterbury, the Waitaki Valley and Central Otago will continue, with a very high fire danger in Nelson and much of Canterbury and Otago.
High fire risk is projected to extend from Nelson through to eastern Southland.
In the North Island, extreme fire danger is projected for coastal Manawatu, near Napier/Hastings and the central Wairarapa, with very high fire risk expected throughout the Manawatu, Wellington, Wairarapa, and central Hawkes Bay.
No rest for weary firefighters
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