Fire Safety

• Only set up and use your cooker in the designated kitchen/cooking area, with the window open for good airflow. Camp cookers give off carbon monoxide, an odourless gas that’s poisonous. Prolonged exposure can lead to unconsciousness or even death.
• Use the stainless steel or metal benches provided, and ensure the cooker is flat and stable. Make sure the cooker is clear of any flammable materials that could be nearby, like food packaging.
• Ensure the gas canister and cooker are connected properly and there is no gas leak before lighting it.
• Supervise the cooker at all times to reduce the risk of it being knocked over.
• Turn off the gas bottle and ensure the cooker is completely cool before packing it away. 

• Choose a flat surface that is clear of flammable vegetation.
• Find a sheltered spot or erect a non-flammable windbreak or windshield.  
• For cookers that screw into the top of a gas cannister, use a stabiliser on the base if you can, so the cooker is less likely to tip over.  
• Supervise the cooker at all times to reduce the risk of it being knocked over.
• Dispose of matches safely by ensuring they are completely cold and not left behind on the ground. 
• Turn off the gas bottle and ensure the stove is completely cool before packing it away. 

• Choose a flat area for the fire, well away from anything flammable, such as tents, overhanging branches or other vegetation, particularly if it burns easily, such as long grass, mānuka, gorse and tussock.
• Clear an area of 3 metres around the fire of any other vegetation, such as sticks and leaf matter, to prevent it catching fire.
• Keep the fire small – less than 0.5 metres wide and 0.5 high is recommended.
• Store additional firewood at least 3 metres away from the fire.
• Keep a method to extinguish the fire close by, such as a water or dirt. A full drink bottle can be used for this purpose. 
• Never leave a fire unattended.

Wood burners in huts must be used with care at all times. 

• Only light fires in designated wood burners.
• Always keep the fire small and controlled.
• Never leave a wood burner unattended.
• Burn only dead, dry wood.
• Make sure the fire is extinguished before leaving it unattended, either before going to bed for the night and/or when you leave the hut.
• Before lighting a fire, use the metal pan provided to clean out the cold ash and dispose of it in the metal ash bucket.
• Use wood sparingly and, where possible, replace what you use.
• If you have used the wood burner, it is recommended that you do not attempt to clean out the ash before you leave the hut as it may still be warm and could become a fire hazard.
• If you use the hut axe to cut firewood or kindling, make sure you do so on the ground outside the hut and not on the hut deck or inside, where a slip of the axe may damage the floor or deck.

Wind can fan a fire and spread sparks, so it is critical to properly extinguish an outdoor fire before leaving the fire site to ensure it doesn’t spread. Plan ahead and stop adding wood to the fire so that it burns down to embers, making it easier to extinguish. 

When you have access to water:

1. Pour plenty of water over the fire to douse it.
2. Turn the embers over with a stick and pour more water over them.
3. Mix the ash and embers with soil and ensure it is cool to touch.

When you don’t have access to water, use dirt to smother the fire. Don’t bury your campfire ashes as the embers could smoulder and reignite.

• You can use the wood burners inside DOC huts any time.
• You can light fires outside only if:
  • there is no fire ban in place and
  • there is a designated fireplace or fire pit.

• You can light fires at DOC campsites or shelters only if:
  • there is no fire ban in place and
  • there is a designated outdoor fireplace or fire pit.
• Campsite listings on Plan My Walk include where designated outdoor fireplaces or fire pits are available.

• You can light fires for cooking and warmth in the backcountry only if:
  • there is no fire ban in place and
  • there are no notices prohibiting fires there and
  • the fire is at least 3 metres away from trees and anything that could catch fire and
  • the fire is smaller than 0.5 m in width and in height.
• Portable fireplaces or stoves using solid fuel, like wood, pellets, charcoal or coal, are not permitted on public conservation land due to the risk of fires from the disposal of ashes.

Regional councils and other local authorities will have their own rules and requirements when it comes to fires. Ensure you check with the correct land manager/owner to understand their local rules. 

In most cases, you can use gas burners and enclosed liquid fuel stoves for cooking any time. Open topped liquid fuel cookers, for example fish smokers using methylated spirits, are not permitted.

On public conservation land, there are fire restrictions all year round. For the types of fires allowed in each season and the places you can light them, see the Fire and Emergency NZ website.