All outdoor fires will be banned across the whole of Northland Region from midnight Saturday 8th March until further notice because of the high fire danger and extreme fire conditions

Here's what you need to know:

• Areas where a Restricted Fire Season was in place are all moving to a Prohibited Fire Season.
• No outdoor fires are allowed, even if you already have a permit to light a fire on your property.
• We also ask people to pause outdoor activities that create sparks until there has been significant rain. That includes grinding and welding outside, using chainsaws or mowing.
• Why? It's so hot, dry and often windy that fires are getting out of control very quickly and are hard for firefighters to put out. It only takes one spark to start a fire in these conditions. People have the best of intentions, but the consequences are severe. We hope the community will get behind us on this.

Wherever you are in New Zealand, go to checkitsalright.nz to find out what fire restrictions apply to your location, and for advice on how to protect your whānau and whenua from wildfires.