No open-air fires are allowed and all fire permits are revoked. Photo: RNZ/Sally Round
A fire ban will be in place for the entire Wairarapa region from Tuesday, 23 January.
Last week a fire ban was declared for the Wairarapa Coast, but increased danger has extended the ban to the whole region.
The shift to a prohibited fire season at 8am Tuesday means no open-air fires are allowed, and all fire permits are revoked.
In a statement, Fire and Emergency Wellington District community risk manager Philip Soal said there have been multiple vegetation fires in Wairarapa recently.
"The region is experiencing hot, dry, and windy weather and vegetation will continue to dry out over the coming weeks.
"It is in these conditions where we see wildfires start and spread very quickly."
He said people need to take extra care and not carry out any activities that could pose a fire risk such as lawn mowing, welding or driving through long grass.
Locals can also take simple steps to make their houses easier to defend against fire, including:
- Clearing flammable material from 10m around homes and buildings.
- Moving firewood stacked against houses
- Clearing gutters of dried leaves etc that will easily catch fire
- Clearing flammable material from under decks
- Trimming trees and bushes and removing the trimmings
- Keeping grass short (using a trimmer with a nylon line is safer in these conditions than a mower or trimmer with a metal blade that could create a spark)