Fire and Emergency New Zealand is warning the public to be extra vigilant with the winds due to increase throughout the day.

It is urging people not to light any fires today.

A spokesperson says if a fire does get out of control, they’ll have limited ability to help contain and control the fire, as aircraft will not be able to assist us in these conditions.

The spokesperson says if people have had a fire over the last 5 days, Fire and Emergency New Zealand is encouraging them to check that it is fully extinguished, by turning the pile over and running some water over the ashes.

“If you have cleaned out your fire place recently, please ensure that the bucket of ashes isn’t close to any flammable materials, like hedges or houses.”

The Metservice is forecasting for fine weather, with high cloud increasing from afternoon and northwesterlies becoming gusty.