The Orana region’s fire danger rating could creep up to severe in the coming days, Orana Rural Fire Service (RFS) manager Superintendent Lyndon Wieland said.
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The Bureau of Meteorology are forecasting 39 degrees in Wellington for today and tomorrow, and 41 for Friday.
The temperature is set to drop to 34 on Saturday, and showers are expected.
Superintendent Wieland said the fire service is ready.
“We’re very aware of the conditions … it’ll be at least high to very high fire danger [and] may creep into severe on those days.
“We’ve got some really bad weather coming through – some wind and rain will keeps us on high alert,” he said.
A shed fire at the Nanima Village just outside of Wellington was one of several incidents in the region.
“In Mt Arthur some cardboard was lit on fire and burned out a small patch of grassland.. luckily the fire crews responded quickly to stop it spreading,” Superintendent Wieland.
“A fire also started out at Dripstone where a farmer was cutting some hay… it’s that easy to accidentally start a blaze.
Headers are mostly sitting dormant now, but Superintendent Wieland said activities like angle grinding, welding, and driving motorbikes and vehicles could still be dangerous.
“Unfortunately people will lose some valuable feed on their properties if we’re not careful about our actions,” he said.
He urged landholders to plan ahead.
“Yes you need to muster your stock and check water, but please do it in the morning when things aren’t so easily ignited,” he said.
“Also … put a plan together so that if a wildfire does approach … it would be very good to have a paddock with low fuel load in it that you can run your livestock into.”
Motorists should also exercise caution, Superintendent Wieland said, and use only bare roadside areas for rest stops or the “exhaust system on your car could very easily ignite”.
