Fire and Emergency New Zealand is suspending all fire permits across Coastal Zone Dunedin, Clutha including the Catlins, Waitaki, Central Zone and Lakes from 12pm today until 12pm Tuesday.
Central Otago Deputy Principal Rural Fire Officer Bobby Lamont said the fire danger was extreme or very high in large parts of the region over Easter.
''Severe winds are forecast for Easter Sunday and Easter Monday which will increase the fire danger further and the dry fuels and soil in the region would make containing a fire extremely difficult if one were to occur.''
Open air fires and some other activities would also be temporarily prohibited in the Otago Central Zone where the fire danger was the worst from 6am Sunday until 6am on Tuesday.
"Otago remains in a restricted fire season but while these constraints are in place for the Otago Central Zone this means no lighting any outdoor fires, no roadside mowing, no cultivation, no fireworks or pyrotechnic displays and no explosives to be set off in the Otago Central Zone."
The central zone includes Alexandra, Clyde, Cromwell, Wanaka, Lake Hawea, Naseby, Ranfurly, Kurow, Otematata, Omarama and Middlemarch.
Anyone who has had a burn in the last seven days was also asked to check it was completely out.
"The strong winds have the potential to reignite any old burn sites so people should check they are fully extinguished. Dig right down into the site, pour water over it and check with the back of your hand there is no heat."
"We ask people to take the high fire danger in Otago seriously over the holiday weekend and to please obey the restrictions while they are in place."
