27 January 2004
Take extra care playing with matches
Tinder dry conditions at Waitakere City mean that residents need to be extra careful with matches, lighters, cigarettes
and the back yard barbeque.
A carelessly discarded cigarette is believed to be the cause of a small scrub fire at Waikumete Cemetery last Saturday
around 2pm says cemetery manager Graeme Resnick.
Residents in the rural part of the City wanting to light a fire in the open air must apply for a permit during the
restricted fire season which continues until 30 April. Permits can be obtained free by phoning the Council’s Call
Centre.
Residents in urban areas do not need a permit for backyard fires, as long as they comply with Council bylaws – the fire
must be burning between sunrise and sunset, must be more than three metres of a neighbour’s fence and should not create
a smoke nuisance. Water must also be readily available to extinguish the fire if necessary.
ENDS