Rural firefighters pray for rain

By MATHEW DEARNALEY and NZPA

Rural firefighters are praying for rain this weekend to douse an extreme fire risk in parched eastern parts of New Zealand.

The National Rural Fire Authority says a cold front which may bring some limited relief today has in fact pumped up the risk in the meantime, because of winds being pushed on to the country ahead of it.

Although there have been no big rural blazes this summer, authority duty officer Ian Millman said yesterday that there was a real concern that most of whatever rain the front might bring would fall only in the west, leaving areas such as Canterbury and the Wairarapa even drier.

He hoped the only practical firefighting experience his workforce would have this year would be in Australia, where he is heading next week to take over liaison duties for 33 New Zealanders helping to battle that country's devastating bush fires.

There were some small pockets of extreme fire risk yesterday in forest in the Bay of Plenty, the Far North, and Maramarua, south of Auckland, but the threat is expected to ease there today.

An extreme fire risk will persist down much of the east coast from Poverty Bay to northern Otago.

Restricted fire seasons have been imposed over much of the country, including Auckland, Northland and the Waikato, in which no one may light an open fire in the countryside without a permit from the relevant rural fire authority.

But total fire bans have been imposed in the hill area of Napier and parts of Nelson, and others look likely to follow by the end of next week in the Wairoa district, Hawkes Bay and Wellington.

These will outlaw the lighting of any type of outside fire, including wood-fuelled barbecues.

Gas barbecues will still be allowed as they are not classified as outside fires, as will charcoal barbecues within occupied residential areas, and hangi or umu under special permits from local councils.

The chairman of Wellington's rural fire committee, Rodger McCormack, said yesterday that open-fire permits already issued in his region would be revoked next Wednesday. This was against a climbing fire risk and a forecast for the rest of the summer of more sunshine and periods of high winds.

His total ban will include Wellington City, the Hutt Valley, the Kapiti Coast and all Conservation Department land apart from the western Tararua Forest Park, where campers will still be able to obtain permits.

Among some of the most parched areas are Napier and Hastings, where less than 100mm of rain has fallen in the past three months.

This month, Napier has had just 10mm, compared with 24mm in Hastings.

In the Nelson area, Waimea Rural Fire Committee spokesman John Ward said 60 to 70 per cent of grasslands were now dry, heightening the fire risk to extreme in some places.

"Scrub areas are on extreme to very high, with further drying continuing during current southwest conditions. Forests are, in the main, on high but will soon move to very high if the present winds continue."

Herald feature: Environment