Rain Relief for Fire Risk

“Total Fire Ban” signage around the Hastings District were being replaced with “Restricted Fire Season” signs this morning after rural fire authorities decided to drop back to a restricted fire season.

Deputy Rural Fire Officer, Paul Hawke, says after large amounts of rain throughout the district over the weekend dry or dead vegetation is wet and there is a window of opportunity for permits to be issued for fires in the open.

“We had 30mm to 50mm of rain in the plains and coastal areas and in some hill country areas there was three times that,” Mr Hawke says.

People wanting to light fires in the open, in either Napier or Hastings districts, can apply to their council for a permit.

Permits can take up to three days to process as some situations may require an on-site inspection.

“There is still a lot of high grass and it just needs some moderate temperatures and winds for the fire risk to creep upwards. The fire risk may get worse again if those conditions are repeated but hopefully not to the extreme levels we’ve seen in recent months.”

Mr Hawke says there is a possibility of more rain in the next week or so - “hopefully that will encourage some green growth and the fire risk may return to normal”.