Fire and Emergency Te Tai Tokerau Northland says the fire danger in the district is extreme. Photo: RNZ/Sally Round
File photo. Fire and Emergency Te Tai Tokerau Northland district manager Wipari Henwood says the fire danger is extreme. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Fire and Emergency says dry conditions are set to continue in Northland, where the fire risk is extreme.
All outdoor fires are banned across Northland after a drought was declared for the region.
There is also a total fire ban for North Waikato and Coromandel.
Fire and Emergency Te Tai Tokerau Northland district manager Wipari Henwood said recent blazes were taking their toll on firefighters, many of whom were volunteers.
"We're in extreme fire danger at the moment with this prolonged drought we're experiencing. Any rain or short showers that we have, the next day those have all evaporated so these conditions just seem to be going on and on," he said.
Henwood said the fire ban would remain in place until the region got some decent rain.
"None forecast for the next two weeks unfortunately," he said.
A drought has been declared in the Northland, Waikato, Horizons and Marlborough-Tasman regions. Photo: RNZ / Simon Rogers
People should avoid any activities that could generate sparks, he said.
"We're asking people to stop doing what we call hot works; that's grinding, welding, even mowing your lawn or using a chainsaw out in the open air, these are all items that could initiate a fire," Henwood said.
"When we get an ignition source the vegetation is in such a state that the fire will spread rapidly."
