Fire and Emergency is urging caution in the lead up to Guy Fawkes Night. Photo: SANKA VIDANAGAMA / AFP / Hiro Teraoka
Fire and Emergency (FENZ) is urging caution in the lead up to Guy Fawkes Night.
Fireworks will be on sale across the country from Sunday until Wednesday.
FENZ community education manager Tom Ronaldson said the recent weather meant fires could spread and get out of control very quickly.
Auckland Council is closing public access to 14 of its maunga from 6.30pm until 7am during Guy Fawkes to protect them from fires.
Auckland Council acting general manager of parks and community facilities Julie Pickering said Aucklanders needed to be mindful of others and the rules when celebrating Guy Fawkes.
Guy Fawkes Night commemorates a failed plot to blow up the British parliament in 1605, and is traditionally commemorated with fireworks and bonfires.
Calls have been made for years to ban sales of fireworks to the public, because of the distress they cause to domestic pets and the fire risk they pose.
A petition signed by 90,000 people calling for a ban was presented to Parliament in July.
However, National MP Greg Fleming, who was presented with the petition, told RNZ that "there's no appetite whatsoever from the government's agenda for looking at this".
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