A series of deliberately lit fires in areas where fire danger is rated extreme - the latest on a vacant section in Alexandra yesterday - is concerning police and keeping Alexandra and Clyde fire crews on high alert.
With hardly any rain for at least 10 weeks, combustible vegetation and hot temperatures combined with northwest winds are a recipe for disaster in the driest parts of Central Otago, fire chiefs say.
They want to get the message across how, in such dry conditions, a fire could be disastrous.
Children were responsible for a fire which burned 1ha of land near houses in Clyde on Tuesday, and for a grass fire in Orchard Dr, Alexandra, yesterday.
Sergeant Ian Kerrisk said police were hugely concerned at the risk to lives and property.
"If we continue to have people lighting fires, we will have a disaster, given the conditions we've got," he said.
In both cases, the prompt response by crews meant fire did not spread to nearby houses, but Sgt Kerrisk said "it's just a roll of the dice whether crews can get there in time, and we don't want to gamble".
Two Alexandra brothers, aged 8 and 13, would be dealt with by the youth justice system over yesterday's fire.
The younger boy was found hiding in bushes by the fire and the 13-year-old was later brought into the police station by his parents.
"That was our second deliberately lit fire in two days and we're pleading with people to be aware of how dry things are and for parents to make children aware how extreme the fire danger is," Sgt Kerrisk said.
"The bottom line is we don't want any more fires."
Alexandra police were investigating three suspicious fires in the past week.
The first involved a 21-year-old Clyde man who set off fireworks, causing a small fire in the Pines reserve on the outskirts of Alexandra on January 1.
The man acknowledged it was a stupid thing to do and police were satisfied he had not intended to start a fire, Sgt Kerrisk said.
He would not be charged.
A 14-year-old Christchurch boy admitted starting the Clyde fire and police had also apprehended a 12-year-old Invercargill boy in relation to the same fire.
The boy was brought into the station by his parents.
"Both those boys and their families have been extremely co-operative and the boys are remorseful," Sgt Kerrisk said.
"They are trying to make right what they did."
The 21-year-old man and the two boys involved in the Clyde fire would be apologising in person to the local firefighters who were called out as a result of their actions, Sgt Kerrisk said.
Clyde fire crews were still attending flare-ups at the site on Tuesday night and yesterday.
Yesterday's fire was between Orchard Dr and the Clutha River on an empty section, but not far from houses.
Alexandra fire chief Russell Anderson said the fire started near mature poplar trees.
It was fortunate they were not pines, which would have "exploded" into flames, and it was also lucky the wind was not blowing strongly at the time.
"We have to get the message across about . . . how quickly a fire can engulf an area.
"I don't think that's getting through", he said.
The volunteers were called out to a bonfire on Tuesday night on riverbed gravel at Galloway.
"They probably thought it was OK having a bonfire on a riverbed, but there's a total fire ban on and so we were phoned as soon as the neighbours saw the smoke."
Southland visitors were responsible.
Mr Anderson said residents were alerting the emergency services as soon as they saw smoke and that meant the brigade could respond quickly to try and avert disaster.
Clyde fire chief Richard Davidson said the fire weather indices were high in parts of Central Otago already, and usually the driest time was in February.
The major wildfires of 1999 which burnt 8200ha of land at Springvale and Fruitlands were in February.
"I think we're getting close to similar conditions to then," Mr Anderson said.
Mr Davidson said occasional flare-ups at the Clyde fire were continuing, despite the "thousands of litres of water poured on to it".
"If we hadn't got there as quickly as we did and the fire had spread to the willows near all those houses, I hate to think what the consequences would be."
The recent fires followed in the wake of two other major fires in the district in the past fortnight.
On New Year's Day, power lines blown together in strong winds are believed to be responsible for starting a fire which destroyed John and Pat Kerr's home and 40ha of land in Roxburgh.
Sixty firefighters were involved in controlling that blaze.
About 40 firefighters fought a fire at Flat Top Hill conservation area near Alexandra on December 28.
The cause of the fire, which burnt 20ha, has yet to be determined.
