Southland District manager Julian Tohiariki said there were two common causes of fires getting out of control and both were easily avoided.
"People have been setting fire to debris from the big winds at the end of October, without giving enough thought to where they have built their piles. They’re often much too close to hedges, shelterbelts and other vegetation."
The second cause related to people lighting up their burn piles without checking the weather forecast.
"At this time of year we do expect windy conditions and unsettled weather,
"A fire that is not properly extinguished can reignite days later in windy conditions so we ask people to be aware of this and check that any fires they have lit are actually out. Wind will fan the flames, blow embers around and make it much harder to keep control of their fire."
The outcome was frequently a 111 call, which resulted in a local volunteer fire brigade having to put the fire out, often after significant damage to the property and sometimes affecting neighbours’ land as well.
Vegetation fires could burn for days if they became established and deep-seated, he said.
Extinguishing them often requires significant resources.
"Many of them are farmers themselves. They are also dealing with damage from the storm and doing their regular jobs at the same time.
"They always want to help their community but none of them want to be dealing with these completely avoidable fires."
Anyone who uses fire as a land management tool needs to look at the weather forecast and go online to www.checkitsalright.nz for advice about safe burning.
Controlling burns
• Place the burn pile on the lee side (sheltered side) at least 30m away from trees, hedges, sheds or other structures and avoid powerlines.
• Create a 5m fire break to stop a creeping ground fire.
• Always check www.checkitsalright.nz before burning, to be sure that it is safe to burn and understand any restrictions for your location, including if you need a fire permit.
