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Rural fire restrictions for Christchurch from Monday
Wednesday 18 December 2013
Rural fire restrictions for Christchurch from Monday
From midnight Monday 23 December 2013, lighting outdoor fires in the Rural Fire District of Christchurch and Banks Peninsula will be ‘restricted’.
Anyone in the Rural Fire District who wants to light a fire outdoors must get a permit. Permits are not needed for barbeques on properties serviced by a domestic water supply. Rural Fire Permits can be obtained by contacting the Council Customer Call Centre where Council Rural Fire Officers will be available to discuss requests.
At the same time, a total ban of outdoor fires (with the exception of barbeques and hāngi) under the Urban Fire Safety Bylaw will also be imposed for the Urban Fire District (city and townships).
A spate of fires in Christchurch last week has highlighted the dry conditions and served as a safety reminder to all about the significant risk flammable items such as dry grass and timber pose to the community.
Manager of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, Murray Sinclair says, “Despite the forecasted rainfall for the coming days and weeks, the seasonally higher temperatures are likely to see easily flammable items like grass and timber quickly return to a dry state and pose a fire risk. With public safety in mind, this restriction is based on underlying fuel conditions, time of year and public notification requirements.
“Council Rural Fire Officers will be available to issue permits and requests can be made through the Council Call Centre. We want to remind those responsible for lighting a fire that they should have insurance cover for fire fighting costs as well as public liability.
“The start of the fire restrictions at midnight on 23 December, gives people one final weekend to clear debris. All those conducting burns need to ensure that their planned fires are fully extinguished before they leave, so as to avoid the situation of fires reigniting in strong winds and spreading to destroy property,” he says.
Before lighting a fire, if you are unsure of which fire district you are in, contact the Council Customer Call Centre on 941 8999 or FREEPHONE 0800 800 169.
For further information visit our website www.ccc.govt.nz
ENDS
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