19 Sep 2017

Territory-wide fire ban declared in New Caledonia

6:13 am on 19 September 2017

An extreme fire risk in New Caledonia has prompted the Civil Security organisation to declare a territory-wide fire ban.

Aerial view of an area devastated by fire near Noumea, in New Caledonia, 28 December 2005.

Aerial view of an area devastated by fire near Noumea, in 2005. Photo: AFP

The ban exempts the use of fire for cooking in domestic situations.

There have been a number of fires which have destroyed dozens of hectares of vegetation.

New Caledonia has had its driest winter since 1961 and got only a fraction of the normal rainfall.