Rising temperatures and strong winds caused the devastating Kaimaumau fire in 2022 to rip through wetlands and threaten 30 homes. Photo / Fire and Emergency
Rising temperatures and strong winds caused the devastating Kaimaumau fire in 2022 to rip through wetlands and threaten 30 homes. Photo / Fire and Emergency
Fire and Emergency is urging Northland people to avoid lighting fires, as wind adds extra risk to the hot, dry conditions.
Northland district manager Wipari Henwood said while much of Northland is currently in an open fire season, the district is drying quickly and people should avoid lighting fires if they can.
As at the weekend, stronger winds than normal were also expected tomorrow.
Conditions were “extremely high risk’, Henwood said.
“We’ve had two incidents last week where rubbish fires got out of control, and they both caused a lot of damage. However, they would have been much worse if those days had been windy.
“Last Monday, we had a fire at Kāeo that narrowly missed people’s homes when it accelerated up a scrubby hill from the beach. That took three helicopters and five trucks to contain.
“On Thursday, we had another burn pile get out of control, which needed a helicopter and four crews to contain.
“If it had been windy [on] those days as well as hot and dry, we could have seen much larger wildfires. That’s what we’re concerned about with these conditions over the next few days.
“We are monitoring the weather conditions closely in Te Tai Tokerau, as the forecast is for a dry, windy summer.
“There are already very high temperatures and low humidity, which makes it really easy for fires to get started and creates a lot of dry vegetation that burns fast,” Henwood said.
“Windy conditions are a clear signal not to light a fire and to check old fire sites to make sure they are not reigniting.
“The last thing we want to see is our whenua burning this summer.”
Fire and Emergency has issued similar warnings for other regions, tightening restrictions in Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti, likely to be quickly followed by Northland, Wairarapa, Canterbury, and Mid-South Canterbury.
Wildfire manager Tim Mitchell said: “The fires in Canterbury and Otago over the last couple of days paint a grim picture of what we will see in the drier parts of the country if people don’t take care with fires or spark-making activity”.
The Bridge Hill fire began on Thursday. Photo: Supplied / Fire and Emergency
