Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Niue to consider full fire ban as drought continues

Posted at 01:53 on 28 November, 2012 UTC

As Niue continues to battle dry conditions the island’s fire fighting resources are to be strengthened.

A refurbished fire engine, funded by Australia and New Zealand, is to be provided to Niue’s international airport in January.

One of the two airport fire engines, which are also used to fight fires away from the airport confines, was wrecked in a crash earlier in the year.

Meanwhile Niue has been in the grip of a drought for several months and the Secretary of Government, Richard Hipa, says there are plans now for a full fire ban on the island.

“We are calling on the people to use their commonsense and hence the Cabinet paper that will go into Cabinet next week - we are considering under the National Disaster Council of putting in a fire ban on the situation at the moment, because there have been some fires over the weekend.”