Fire and Emergency New Zealand is moving Thames-Coromandel to a restricted fire season at 9am on Tuesday 16 December, until further notice.

A restricted fire season means a permit is required to light an open-air fire.

The restricted fire season will cover all of the Thames-Coromandel District Council boundaries.

Announcing the fire season change, Acting District Manager Matt Cook says the recent warm and dry weather means the fire risk across the region has increased.

"Despite forecast rain this week, conditions on the Coromandel Peninsula are drier than we would normally expect for this time of year.

"We will now work with landowners, issuing permits to ensure they are lighting fires safely.

"If you are planning on lighting an open-air fire, please head to www.checkitsalright.nz and apply for a fire permit," Matt Cook says.

"If you don’t have internet access you can phone 0800 658 628 to apply for a permit."

He says the website also provides information on how to light open-air fires more safely.

"We will continue to monitor the weather and the fire risk at it is expected conditions may start to dry out further," he says.

"Please do the right thing and apply for a permit to help keep yourselves and your community safe when using fire."

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