Pause plans for outdoor fires please!

Hot and windy conditions forecast for much of Canterbury, South Canterbury and Otago have prompted Fire and Emergency to warn people of an increased fire risk from today.

Mid‑South Canterbury District Commander Rob Hands says people should not light outdoor fires because of the expected strong winds and hot temperatures, and they must go back and check the sites of previous fires to make sure they are completely extinguished.

MetService has issued an orange wind warning for severe gale northwesterlies of up to 120km for the Canterbury High Country and the plains near the foothills.

"Any fires will be very hard to control in these conditions, so we want people to delay all planned burns until the winds have dropped again and temperatures have cooled down," Rob Hands says.

It's barely a month since fires fanned by galeforce winds caused significant damage around Kaikoura and the Clarence River, Hurunui District and at the Rangitata Huts. Several of them took firefighters days to put out.

People who light fires are legally responsible for putting them out – something that is often overlooked, Rob Hands says.

"Don't leave them to smoulder or assume that a fire is completely out just because you can't see any flames or smoke. The whole area should be thoroughly wetted until it is completely cold, and checked again afterwards."

www.checkitsalright.nz has detailed advice about outdoor fire safety. That includes whether it's safe to burn and whether any fire restrictions are in place.