"Fighting fires puts a major drain on the district's water supplies, which are already under severe stress. We don't need to be using water to put out fires if we can avoid it," he said.
A total fire ban means all current permits were suspended from midnight. The restrictions will remain in place until further notice.
In Wanganui, the risk is now extreme, and Bernie Rush, area manager for the Fire Service, is asking people to be very careful, as fires can spread quickly in such conditions, particularly if it is windy. The need for a total fire ban for the region will be assessed on Monday. A rural fire officer yesterday was out checking rural fire permits to see if they were still safe.
Fires in the Ruapehu District Council area are now restricted, not prohibited as reported in the Chronicle.