Hot tips to avoid a blaze this season

WARNING: Basic safety checks will reduce the risk of a house fire these holidays.A-090714WCSMFIRE6

A senior fire officer is calling on holidaying families to avoid joining the list of more than 700 residential Wanganui fire callouts during the past five years.

Wanganui fire safety officer John Hotter said basic actions such as turning TVs off, pulling plugs out of sockets and closing doors were important before going away.

Telling neighbours of holiday plans was also paramount - there had been cases of smoke alarms going off for hours, despite neighbours being home, because they weren't aware the occupants were away, he said.

Once on holiday, the onus was on everyone from caravan-owners to campers to be safety savvy, he said.

"People don't think about safety items when they go away," he said. "Take smoke alarms with you ... you can even put a smoke alarm in a tent."

While serious house fires started for a number of reasons, people being careless with lit items was a common thread.

"Fires have started because people haven't taken care when smoking, using candles, cooking and so on. In a lot of cases, alcohol is also a factor."

Mr Hotter said smoke alarms and practised escape routes, especially in households with young children, were basic ways to be fire smart.

More than 700 residential fires were attended in Wanganui in the past five years, according to New Zealand Fire Service figures obtained by the Wanganui Chronicle.

"Miscellaneous" fires were the main cause of call-outs, followed by structure fires and vegetation fires. Miscellaneous fires were typically outside fires that got out of control, such as barbecues, bonfires, camp fires, gas cookers and rubbish fires.

Vegetation fires could be prevented if fire restrictions were followed and people had a good idea of what they were doing before they started a blaze.

Nationally, services attended more than 16,000 residential fires in the past five years.

The number of callouts was highest in the 2010 to 2011 financial year, at 3869. Every other year, except 2011/12, there were more than 3000 reported callouts.

New Zealand Fire Service spokesman Peter Riordan said the apparent 2011/12 drop was due to industrial action by career firefighters, during which about a third of incident reports were not completed.

Weather forecasters predict high fire risk conditions such as dry winds this summer, especially in eastern regions.

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research predicted a 75 per cent chance of El Nino weather developing by February 2015. An El Nino - an abnormal warming of surface ocean waters in the eastern tropical Pacific - was typically associated with stronger or more frequent winds that led to drier conditions in the east of New Zealand and more rain in the west, NIWA said.

Across the country, temperatures were expected to be average or above average from now until February.

The fire service advised New Zealanders to be aware of the conditions and check with local authorities before lighting outdoor fires, including bonfires on beaches and any non-gas barbecues, Mr Riordan said.

Caravan owners needed to ensure smoke alarms were installed that were detachable when cooking. Velcro was the best way of fixing a smoke alarm to a caravan ceiling, he said.

Residents were also encouraged to get their homes safety checked by the Fire Service.

-People can ring 0800 693 473 to book a home fire safety check.