Fire and Emergency New Zealand will lift restrictions on outdoor fires for Canterbury at 8am on Wednesday 26 March until further notice.

An open fire season means people can light outdoor fires without a permit approved by Fire and Emergency.

Canterbury District Commander Dave Stackhouse says the recent rain and cooler temperatures have lowered the fire risk throughout the district.

"It’s been a challenging few months for our firefighting crews, who have had to battle some very large fires this summer," he says.

"Wildfires at Bridge Hill, West Melton, Kirwee, Burnham and Lewis Pass caused considerable damage to our local environment, and resulted in our firefighters putting many days of effort into containing them."

Canterbury’s fire district stretches from north of the Rakaia River to just south of the Clarence River.

It moved to a restricted fire season in mid-December when the fire danger rose due to dry conditions, and prohibited outdoor fires completely just before Christmas.

"While the fire risk has now dropped, we’re still asking people to take care when lighting fires in the district," Dave Stackhouse says.

"Always go to checkitsalright.nz to find out what the conditions are in your location, and follow the safety advice provided.

"Summer may be ending, but it’s important we continue to make every effort to keep the people, property, environment and wildlife of Canterbury safe from fire."

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