Firefighters strengthen the perimeter of West Melton fire
Firefighters supported by four helicopters strengthen the perimeter of the West Melton fire ahead of strong northwest winds forecast to develop later today. Video / Katie Oliver
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Firefighters supported by four helicopters strengthen the perimeter of the West Melton fire ahead of strong northwest winds forecast to develop later today. Video / Katie Oliver
NOW PLAYING • Firefighters strengthen the perimeter of West Melton fire
Firefighters supported by four helicopters strengthen the perimeter of the West Melton fire ahead of strong northwest winds forecast to develop later today. Video / Katie Oliver
Editorial
Summer has well and truly arrived and Kiwis across the country are basking in the glow of glorious sunshine.
But warmer, drier days also bring a more arid Aotearoa and a dry landscape at risk from seasonal fires.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand has already put many parts of the country– including the Hauraki Gulf, Bay of Plenty, Nelson-Marlborough, Otago – under seasonal fire rules and tightened restrictions further in Tairāwhiti, Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa.
Firefighters at one of several driftwood and debris fires on the Napier and Awatoto seafront last week, when temperatures soared close to 34C. Photo / Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Wildfire manager Tim Mitchell said fires in Canterbury and Otago “paint a grim picture of what we will see in the drier parts of the country if people don’t take care with fires or spark-making activity”.
“We always advise people to go to checkitsalright.nz before lighting a fire, but in the current climate, we’re actually just appealing to New Zealanders to hold off lighting fires at all if they possibly can.”
Rural New Zealanders will likely be far more familiar with fire risks than their urban counterparts but fire safety and education is going to become increasingly important.
That’s because, according to climate scientists, wildfires are likely to loom over our summer months as the world warms.
“It is clear New Zealand stands at a pivotal juncture. The country faces an increasingly severe wildfire climate. And our once relatively ‘safe’ regions are now under threat. At all levels of government, New Zealand needs to consider whether our current investment to combat fires will be enough in the coming decades,” Nathanael Melia, the founding director of Climate Prescience, said earlier this year.
“Our research integrating detailed climate simulations with daily observations reveals a stark forecast: an uptick in both the frequency and intensity of wildfires, particularly in the inland areas of the South Island.
“It is time to consider what this will mean for Fire and Emergency New Zealand, and how a strategic calibration of resources, tactics and technologies will help New Zealand confront this emerging threat.”
In the meantime, New Zealanders should be wise to the fire danger in their area to avoid more weeks like the one that struck Canterbury.