“Start planning for a hot dry summer now,” warns Rakaia Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Tyronne Burrowes following a spate of fires across Mid Canterbury this past week. 

He said any fire season was a risk, but this coming one could be risker than usual, so people need to think ahead.  

"Have plenty of water available and make absolutely sure any old burning piles are definitely extinguished.” 

Seven fire brigades, from both sides of the Rakaia River, were needed to wrangle a large silage pit fire on Sunday. 

The Rakaia Volunteer Fire Brigade were called the Acton Road property just before midday. 

Burrowes said on arrival they were met with a lack of water in the area as the irrigation pond was drained for maintenance and burning tyres were on top of the silage pit. 

"The burning rubber made the fire difficult to put out,”  he said.

In need of water, reinforcement tankers and fire trucks were called in from; Ashburton, Lauriston, Pendarves, Dunsandel, Leeston and Southbridge.

Burrowes said it appeared and old fire reignited in the wind and spread to the pit and nearby trees. 

"The fire in the trees was got under control pretty quickly.” 

Also called in to help was Ashburton Fire Brigade’s newly minted service vehicle.

Burrowes said it had been invaluable as an Incident Control Point and was also used to provide refreshments during the four-hour incident. 

"It was a great asset to have there,” Burrowes said. 

Meanwhile, in Ashburton last week, distress flares lighting up the night sky resulted in the Ashburton Volunteer Fire Brigade being called to Beach Rd in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Deputy chief Andrew Rattray said the call came in at 12.20am. 

“Nothing was set on fire thankfully.” 

A police spokesperson said they received a report of people firing-off flares, but no action was required by them. 

In another incident, Rattray said wind causing power lines to arch may have sparked a grass fire on the corner of Lower Downs and Mayfield Klondyke roads on Saturday. 

The Mayfield Volunteer Fire Brigade were called to the fire at 7.23am. 

A spokesperson for EA Networks said they attended after Fire and Emergency New Zealand reported a small grass fire at the base of a power pole.

“We inspected the pole after the fire was extinguished. It was not damaged and there was no interruption to the electricity supply.”

“No conclusive evidence was identified at the scene.”

The Mayfield brigade were called out again on Sunday afternoon to a scrub fire on Hackthorne Rd. 

Rattray said the six metre square fire was most likely wind related. 

Meanwhile, two fire trucks from Alford Forest and three from Methven fire brigades attended a house fire at Alford Forest on Tuesday. 

A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said they were alerted to structure fire at 4.16pm, which was extinguished by 4.56pm.

"The fire started in the kitchen,” they said.