Otago Regional Council (ORC) has received 53 complaints in the past two months about smouldering fires causing pollution, prompting a reminder to the public of their outdoor burning responsibilities.

While outdoor burning in the colder months is better for fire safety than warmer seasons, the combination of spiralling smoke and the inversion layer can increase the incidences of pollution, ORC compliance monitoring team leader Chris McSweeney said.

“If not done well, outdoor burning is not only a nuisance for neighbours but can also contribute to air pollution if banned materials are burned and harmful toxins are released into the air,” he said.

Of the 53 recent complaints received by the compliance team, 19 were in Central Otago or Queenstown Lakes.

If it’s a cold start to the day people should consider starting their outdoor burning  later in the day to allow for any inversion layer to lift and so the smoke can dissipate higher in the sky.

“If people pick a good weather day, then any smoke from a permitted outdoor burn should not be an issue to neighbouring properties over their boundary,” Chris said.

Members of the public should ensure the fire is managed and start with a smaller amount of material on the fire to get it burning well before adding any more material.

They should continue to monitor their fire, not let it smoulder, not leave it unattended, and not leave it to burn overnight.

It is also important not to burn materials like tyres, mattresses, plastic bottles, tyres, chemicals or waste oil, which have the potential to discharge extremely harmful toxins into the environment.

People should only burn vegetation and other permitted material if the material is dry at the time of burning, Chris said.  

More information on safe outdoor burning is available here.

“We know how important outdoor burning is to the community and we are just reminding people to follow good burning practices,” Chris said.

Signs of pollution or outdoor burning of concern can be reported to the ORC Pollution Hotline by calling 0800 800 033 

PHOTO: Supplied