Photo: 123RF / Vadim Rysev
Fire and Emergency New Zealand has called on households to refrain from using fireworks or sky lanterns during celebrations for the Lunar New Year due to heightened fire risk in some parts of the country.
A complete ban on fireworks has been imposed for parts of Mid-South Canterbury and Otago, while other parts of the country are in prohibited or restricted fire seasons.
Parts of the South Island were buffeted by strong winds earlier Tuesday, with MetService warning of strong gales reaching up to 130km/h in exposed places in the Canterbury High Country.
Fireworks are currently banned in Lake Clearwater and Lake Camp (Ashburton Lakes area), the Mackenzie Basin, Naseby, Upper Waitaki, and Central Otago and Central Lakes regions, including Wakatipu Basin, Wānaka and Hāwea.
Tom Ronaldson, community education manager at FENZ, said sky lanterns in particular could pose a serious fire hazard if they landed in dry vegetation.
"We strongly recommend you do not light lanterns, as you have no control over where they travel. If they land in dry vegetation, they can quickly cause a fire," Ronaldson said.
"This includes tethered lanterns, as there is a risk of them becoming untethered and causing a fire.
"We've seen hot, dry and windy conditions in many parts of the country this summer, which means much of our vegetation is dry and ready to ignite," he said.
Ronaldson urged anyone who wanted to use fireworks to check the fire risk in their area by visiting www.checkitsalright.nz.
The website provided information on current fire restrictions as well as fire safety advice, he said.
