Escalating Risk Leads To Total City Fire Ban

Dunedin (Monday, 8 March 2010) - The Dunedin City Council has been monitoring the fire risk across the city. It has now reached the point where a prohibited fire season (total fire ban) will be imposed over the entire Dunedin City Council area, from 6:00am Tuesday 9 March 2010.

While the Strath Taieri area has been at a high level for some time, the coastal areas of the city are now also so dry a fire ban is needed to ensure safety. Long-range weather forecasts offer no relief, with only sporadic, small amounts of rain forecast.

The ban, under the provisions of the Forest and Rural Fires Act, covers all rural areas for which the Dunedin City Council is the fire authority. Under the Dunedin City Council’s fire prevention bylaw all urban areas of the city are also subject to this total fire ban. The Department of Conservation has suspended fire permits in areas of Dunedin for which it is the fire authority

All Dunedin City Council rural fire permits that were in force are now suspended and no applications for new permits or renewals of permits will be accepted until the ban has been lifted.

This means that no outdoor fire may be lit or left alight anywhere in Dunedin City until the ban is lifted. The ban includes charcoal and wood-fired barbecues, braziers, incinerators, campfires and thermettes.

Gas barbecues and cookers may be used but people are urged to keep them clear of combustible materials.

- Other activities that pose a high risk of fire include:
The use of vehicles off-road
- The use of petrol chainsaws and mowers (the exhaust systems may ignite dry materials)
- The disposal of cigarette butts

Anybody seeing a fire outdoors during the ban is asked to call 111 immediately to report it, as fires will spread rapidly in the current conditions.

It will take a significant number of days of rainfall to lower the fire risk so it should not be assumed that a heavy rainfall will lead to lowered risk and the lifting of the ban.

The status of the ban will be available from the Dunedin City Council Customer Services Agencies on 477 4000 or at www.dunedin.govt.nz. Public notice will be given of the lifting of the ban.

ENDS

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