Ash buckets take the heat

With a fire at a Nelson house  last week linked to disposal of “several days old” ash, local firefighters are dishing out the goods to keep homes safe this winter.

Household wood burners are getting more attention to trounce the cold, however, every year Nelson Tasman crews discover house fires were ignited by incorrectly disposed ash, and the trend heats up in the winter months.

The most recent case was the Nelson South garage fire on Friday,  7 June, which FENZ Top of the South community risk manager, Steve Trigg, says started after “several days old” undampened ash was disposed in a garden at the Tukuka St property.

To reduce the risk, Resene has gifted 1000 metal, non-flammable, and sealable ash buckets to Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough brigades in April, to distribute to their local communities.

Nelson-based Fire and Emergency New Zealand community readiness and recovery advisor, Jess Noone, says Lake Rotoiti Volunteer Fire Brigade were the first to trial ash bucket distribution last year, as part of its community preparedness project.

She says this year’s response to the buckets was illuminating and it had also helped spread local winter fire safety messages.

“When fire ash is cleaned out it is often put in containers that are flammable or in places that are flammable, and the ash is still warm,” she says.

“Along with the ash buckets, we’ve provided some safety information about how to clean out fireplaces, to try and remove the risk of house fires starting due to the incorrect disposal of hot ash.

“The ash buckets have been well received by the community, there are a few key brigades that have done a really great job in spreading the message, Māpua Volunteer Fire Brigade has given away upwards of 200 buckets.”

Jess says the buckets also contain instructions for their use.

“It needs to have a hole in the top to let any heat escape, we’ve predrilled most of them,” she says.

“Before they light their fire, we’re asking people to clean the ash out, place it in the bucket, and then fill it with cold water, then place something heavy in the bottom… to stop any chance of it knocking over.

“They pop the lid on seal it up, then we encourage people to place it outside of their home, ideally on a flat surface that’s fire safe… and then leaving it for at least five days before they put it in their compost or rubbish bin.”

Jess says ash can take up to five days to properly cool.

With the distribution now mostly complete, she says she and her colleagues will review the project’s outcomes at the end of winter before deciding whether to spark it up again.

“The district team from Fire and Emergency are thankful for the efforts of our volunteer brigades in distributing the buckets,” she says.

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