Total Fire Ban in place across the Coromandel for the summer

Total Fire Ban is in place from tomorrow (20 December) across the Coromandel, which means open fires in public places, beaches, public conservation land (DOC) and on private property are not permitted.

We could be in for a hot, dry summer which means an elevated fire risk as vegetation and soil dries out.

The Total Fire Ban runs from 20 December 2017 until 8 February 2018 and can be extended if the dry weather continues.

The ban includes land-clearing fires, rubbish fires, traditional cooking and hangi fires, bonfires, solid-fuelled BBQs, braziers, domestic fireworks, Chinese lanterns, and open-top incinerators.

It does not include gas-fuelled cookers or gas BBQs provided they are operated by an adult in a safe manner.

For more information on fire restrictions in the Coromandel, go to our web page www.tcdc.govt.nz/fire

If you see an out-of-control fire, call Fire and Emergency New Zealand on 111.

Bush fires, like that which burned through about 100 hectares of land at Comers Road in Mercury Bay in January this year (see photo below), put lives in danger and destroy property and habitat for native plant and animal species.

"The Comers Rd fire is a prime example of why we have a Total Fire Ban across the Coromandel during the summer. This shows how damaging a fire in the bush can be," says Paul Shaw, the Waikato Principal Rural Fire Officer.

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