‘Tis the fire season
Remember that mid-winter burnoff months back? Well, it might still be smouldering.
The region’s rural fire boss has urged people to check their old burnoffs as Marlborough moves into its restricted fire season.
Marlborough Kaiko¯ura principal rural fire officer John Foley said while burnoffs might look out, they might not be, and could spark an uncontrolled fire in dry conditions.
‘‘Just because the surface looks grey and there has been rain, it does not mean it is properly out,’’ he said.
‘‘They won’t just burn themselves out.’’
All it took was a strong gust of wind to spark a fire, Foley said.
He encouraged people to grab a shovel and check their burnoffs, even those as far back as March, for embers incase they were still burning below the surface.
The restricted fire season, which started on Thursday, meant a permit was required to light a fire in the open. Gas and coal barbecues could still be used.
Foley said people needed to start considering the potential fire risks with all outdoor activities.
‘‘People [need] to start thinking about any activity they do, whether you’re on a building site using a grinder, whether you’re on a farm using a welder,’’ he said.
Signs went up around the Wither Hills Farm Park, in Blenheim, on Wednesday warning people to stay off the hills between noon and 6.30pm because of the fire safety risk.
‘‘The grass is drying off and it’s not a good place to be during a fire,’’ Foley said.
The Marlborough Kaiko¯ura Rural Fire Authority was also urging people to stay low on the hills as fires doubled in speed on the slopes and there were not many escape routes. The Boxing Day fires, in 2000, tore through 7000 hectares of grassland, threatening houses and killing livestock.
The first suspicious fire of the season started in the early hours of Monday morning at Brayshaw Park in Blenheim.
An expert in criminal psychology said lighting fires deliberately was generally fuelled by anti-social behaviour.
But arsonists could come in all shapes and sizes, and genders, said Massey University clinical psychologist Dr Mei Williams. ‘‘Potentially it could be anyone ... [but] primarily it seems to be more males,’’ she said.
Seeing the results gave arsonists a ‘‘sense of enjoyment’’, Williams said. But personal grudges, a general anger towards the world, financial gain and boredom could also be behind deliberate fires, she said.
A spate of suspicious fires were lit across Blenheim last year.
Arsonists were not likely to share their activities with friends or family, and there were not a lot of red flags to look for if you suspected someone, Williams said.
‘‘It’s kind of a secretive act and being able to get away with the act,’’ she said.