Fire regulations | Canterbury Faire

Fire status for Canterbury Faire 2024:

The Fire Season status can change with little notice, so will be confirmed in the days before the event (and may even change during the event). Even if there is no fire ban, the site must still give permission, and this will be confirmed at the event.

---

This is the official fire policy for Canterbury Faire. If you have any questions about anything fire-related at Canterbury Faire, please contact the fire marshal or CF Stewards.

There are 4 things that determine whether you can have a fire at the event:

The site owners must give permission - their site, their rules.
The type of fire – different types of fires e.g. cooking fires vs braziers have different requirements in different fire seasons
The fire season must allow it - e.g. there is no fire ban
The weather conditions on the day.

Allowed fire types by fire season

Fire and Emergency New Zealand decides which outdoor fires are allowed based on recent local weather conditions.

In an open fire season, the site owner has full control over what fire types they allow and where.

Fire type	Description	Requirements	Restricted season	Prohibited season
Gas-operated appliances	Manufactured gas-operated appliances, such as barbecues, gas outdoor fireplaces and outdoor gas heaters	May only be used in areas that have access to taps, on the concrete pads provided, or similar non-flammable ground cover.	Allowed	Allowed
Charcoal barbecues or grills	Barbecues or grills that use either charcoal briquettes or natural lump charcoal as their fuel source	May only be used in areas that have access to taps, on the concrete pads provided, or similar non-flammable ground cover. Don’t use under a roof overhang or within other enclosed areas. You must have a suitable way to extinguish the fire within easy reach – a maximum of 5 metres away. You must not leave the fire unsupervised while burning	Allowed	Allowed
Open top liquid fuel cooker	These are usually small portable cooking devices that are liquid fueled with an open fuel container either under or in the cooking device.	May only be used in areas that have access to taps, on the concrete pads provided, or similar non-flammable ground cover. You must have a suitable way to extinguish the fire within easy reach – a maximum of 5 metres away. Don’t light your fire within 3 metres of any part of a building, hedge, shelter belt or any other combustible material. You must not leave the fire unsupervised while burning	Allowed	Allowed
Permanent outdoor fireplace Wood-fired pizza oven/wood oven	The clay oven	Anything required by the site owner Must have a non-combustible hearth or base that extends a minimum of 500 mm either side of the left and right edges and a minimum of 1 m from the front edge of the fire box. This is to stop any burning material falling from the fire box landing onto anything combustible. Smoke vent/chimneys must have a purpose-built manufactured cap, or maximum 5 mm steel mesh fitted in the top to stop any hot ash or embers from escaping. • Firewood storage must be in areas not affected by heat from the fire and clear of any possible hot ash or ember-affected areas. You must have a suitable way to extinguish the fire within easy reach – a maximum of 5 metres away. You must not leave the fire unsupervised while burning, or It must have a solid or mesh screen/door, that prevents any burning material from escaping the fire box	Allowed	Allowed
Movable/ portable freestanding frontloading fireplace.	A freestanding front-loading fireplace or oven usually with a bulbous body – usually has a vertical smoke vent or chimney	Anything required by the site owner Don’t light your fire within 3 metres of any part of a building, hedge, shelter belt or any other combustible material. You must have a suitable way to extinguish the fire within easy reach – a maximum of 5 metres away. You must not leave the fire unsupervised while burning or It must have a solid or mesh screen/door that prevents any burning material from escaping the fire box.	Allowed	Allowed
Cooking fires		Anything required by the site owner Don’t light your fire within 5 metres of any part of a building, hedge, shelter belt or any other combustible material. You must have a suitable way to extinguish the fire within easy reach – a maximum of 5 metres from your cooking fire. You must not leave the fire unsupervised while burning. On completion of cooking or the purpose required for cooking food the fires must be extinguished.	Allowed	Allowed
Braziers, firepits and bowls	A container for hot coals, or a pit dug in the ground, made from stone, brick or metal; or a bowl on an upright stand	Anything required by the site owner Your fire area must be less than 1 square metre. Where hot embers/ash are able to escape, there must be a non combustible base/tray that will contain these hot embers/ash to prevent any risk of fire escaping. Don’t light your fire within 3 metres of any part of a building, hedge, shelter belt or any other combustible material. You must have a suitable way to extinguish the fire within easy reach – a maximum of 5 metres from your brazier or fire pit/bowl. You must not leave the fire unsupervised while burning.	Allowed	Prohibited
Bonfires	A large but controlled outdoor fire, used for recreation or celebration	Anything required by the site owner You must comply with the conditions on your permit issued by Fire and Emergency New Zealand.	Permit required	Prohibited

If there is prohibition of fire in the open air under section 52 of the Fire and Emergency Act, only gas appliances may be used.

Information about the Fire Season status around the country is available here - http://www.checkitsalright.nz

Other flames are up to the site owner to allow or prohibit, and are not affected by the Fire Season:

Gas barbecues
Candles
Oil lamps
Torches
Lanterns

Rules for fires

Check with the Fire Marshal before you set up your fire, as even if fires of various types are allowed there are still some restrictions:

We need the site owners’ permission to light a fire anywhere on their property. They may choose to allow them only in certain places.
You should only light your fire when there is little or no wind forecast.
Avoid areas near your tent, structures, vehicles, shrubs and trees, and be aware of low-hanging branches overhead. Clear combustible fuel including unused firewood to at least 3 metres on all sides, and circle your campfire site with rocks.
Keep it small - 50cm wide and 50cm high – Your fire is less likely to escape control if it is kept small. A large fire may send hot embers long distances. Add firewood in small amounts as existing material is burned up.
Extinguish - Have some way to put out any unplanned fires within five metres of your campfire — e.g. fire-extinguisher, bucket of sand or water.
Don’t leave a fire unattended while it’s burning. Extinguish it fully before going to bed. The fire doesn't have to have someone staring at it constantly to be attended — for example, the fire near the Mangy Mongol would be attended if someone awake in the Mong knows that it is still burning.
Don’t light your campfire if you have any doubts that it is safe.
Dispose of ashes and coals carefully when completely cold.
You can’t light a fire by the riverside in any fire season - there are signs prohibiting fires there, so if you see a fire on the riverbank, call 111, then let the Fire Marshal know for liaison purposes.

General

SCA event rules say that every tent that has people staying in it needs to have fire-fighting materials (fire extinguisher or bucket of sand or water) close at hand, regardless of whether there are BBQs, or candles, or campfires being used nearby. The fire extinguisher for your tent may be needed to save someone else's.

Bunk room heaters should not be used to dry clothing, etc.

Smoking

Site rules state that smoking (and vaping) is prohibited in all buildings.
Do not smoke or vape in public spaces like the Mong.
Do not smoke or vape near doorways.
Use appropriate means of extinguishing cigarettes outside, and make sure your cigarette is fully extinguished before disposing of it in an appropriate receptacle. We have had ashtray fires in the past.
During a Prohibited fire season, only smoke on non-grassed areas such as the road behind the Mangy Mongol

Candles, Lanterns and Tiki Torches

Site rules say that candles must be enclosed in lanterns.
Gas lanterns are allowed.
Oil lamps consisting of wick in a receptacle of water with a layer of oil are permitted. None of these may be left unattended while lit.
Oil-only lamps (like tiki torches) are prohibited by the site owners.