Take care in tinder dry conditions
By Chrys Ayley
As Victoria reels from the appalling toll of devastating bush fires, and New Zealanders count their blessings, Wellington Fire Service personnel are cautioning people to be careful with fire during dry conditions. In early February emergency services were called to a large fire in three hectares of young pine plantation in Bradey Road, Whitby. Porirua City Council principal fire officer Peter Chapman said a large number of fire appliances, including the Wellington Rural Fire Service and a helicopter, attended the fire which is believed to have been deliberately set. Mr Chapman said that while there is no fire ban at the moment Porirua residents need a permit from council for all uncontained fires. New Zealand Fire Service corporate communications manager Scott Sargentina warns that although we have had some rain recently conditions in the Wellington area are tinder dry. ?Take care with cigarette butts and barbecue ashes and any outdoor activity that can generate sparks.? Barbecue ashes should be put in a metal, not plastic, bucket and covered with water, he said. People do not realise that ashes can take up to five days to cool down. During burn off?s in rural situations in tinder dry conditions it does not take much for a fire to get out of control. Fires in rural situations are costly for fire fighters and for those who start vegetation fires as they are responsible for the cost of putting it out Mr Sargentina said. Wellington principal rural fire officer Jock Darragh says rural residents should have an escape plan in the event of fire. Space around property should be defensible and clear of vegetation with quick and easy access to a water supply.
