Continuing dry, windy weather has prompted a total fire ban in Central Otago, starting at midnight tomorrow.
Central Otago principal rural fire officer Owen Burgess said only 10.4mm of rain had been recorded in Alexandra last month and 285.9mm for the year so far, well down on the average of 356mm.
There was a high fuel loading with lots of grass growth and the fire risk would quickly climb to extreme if a northwesterly wind arrived, Mr Burgess said.
A grass fire near Alexandra on Tuesday, caused by a spark from a mower hitting a stone, was a reminder how tinder dry conditions were.
