Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
Northland's top firefighter is warning that strong winds and dry conditions have pushed the region into extreme fire danger.
Fire and Emergency Northland manager Wipari Henwood said people should avoid lighting any fires from Friday until Monday due to high winds.
He said there had been two close calls already this week when rubbish fires got out of control, threatening homes and causing significant damage.
Fire and Emergency Northland manager Wipari Henwood. Photo: RNZ / Lois Williams
On Monday, a blaze that accelerated up a scrubby hill from a beach narrowly missed several homes in the Kāeo area, and took three helicopters and five trucks to put out.
Another fire on Thursday, started by an out-of-control burn pile, needed a helicopter and four crews to contain.
"If it had been windy those days as well as hot and dry, we could have seen much larger wildfires. That's what we're concerned about with these conditions over the next few days," Henwood said.
"We would urge people to avoid lighting fires at all right now. We are monitoring the weather conditions closely in Te Tai Tokerau [Northland] as the forecast is for a dry, windy summer."
Henwood said high temperatures and low humidity created a lot of dry vegetation and made it easy for fires to start.
"Windy conditions are a clear signal not to light a fire and to check old fire sites to make sure they are not reigniting. The last thing we want to see is our whenua burning this summer," he said.
Firefighters have already been called to a number of serious fires around Northland today, with the biggest in a farm storage shed at Peria, in Doubtless Bay, about 10.30am.
Fire crews from Mangōnui, Kaitāia and Karikari Peninsula brought the blaze under control just before noon.
The large farm implement shed is believed to have contained vehicles, quad bikes and gas bottles.
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