Applying for a permit for your open air fire will be even easier this summer with the Pumicelands Rural Fire Authority now accepting online applications.

Pumicelands Rural Fire Authority Eastern Zone sector manager Ian Castles says fire permits are necessary for all open air fires in the Ōpōtiki District.

'If you start a fire that gets out of control and damages someone else's property, you're responsible for the cost of repairing any damage. And if we are called out or the fire service is called out, you may have to pay those costs too.”

All fires need a permit including beach fires or scrub burn-offs. The only exceptions are gas barbecues and properly constructed incinerators.

Ian explains fire permits help the authority keep track of fires so they know who is lighting them and where.

'It means we know that people have thought it through and are taking precautions with their fire. There is just too much at stake for people to be irresponsible.”

Online permits take three days to be approved and are available at www.pumicelands.co.nz or through the Ōpōtiki District Council website www.odc.govt.nz/fires