Burnt-out stolen vehicles may cause major fire

People and property could be put at risk from stolen vehicles being dumped then set alight along the banks of a Canterbury river.

Carol Garland, whose property backs on to the Waimakariri River near Kirwee, is worried a major fire could be caused by one of the burning vehicles.

Her concerns are being backed by Fire and Emergency New Zealand - but it seems little can be done to stop the problem.

Said fire risk management officer Kerri Pring: "There is absolutely a fire risk and they are a risk to people.

"But it falls down to Environment Canterbury and police to do something about it.”

Senior Sergeant Dean Harker said it was difficult to catch people setting fire to vehicles.

"The river is just a dumping ground for cars stolen from Christchurch basically.

"We work with ECan but it is difficult to trace the vehicles back to anyone,” he said.

A total fire ban across Canterbury came into effect on Friday.

It means no fires are permitted unless it is an approved fire type for cooking purposes. The fire risk in parts of Canterbury is very high.

Meanwhile, more lifestyle block owners will get a chance to learn about protecting their homes this fire season.

An event will be held on February 16 at the Lincoln Event Centre from 1-3pm for lifestyle block owners.

Police and the Sewlyn District Council Civil Defence team will attend the event on how to prepare properties for the peak fire season and what to do in the event of a fire.