Wet weather reduces fire risk
TWEED'S fire risk will decrease if forecasts of a wet summer prove to be true, firefighters say.
Rural operations regional manager Peter Varley said because a wet summer was predicted for Christmas there was a reduced chance of fires starting.
"We will be getting more storms and rain this summer, it won't be dry," Mr Varley said.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Tony Auden said south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales could expect above average rainfall over the Christmas break.
"There is every chance that we will have an increase of storms over Christmas," he said.
But Mr Varley said it was necessary for locals to prepare for any situation regardless of weather conditions.
"It is still important that people their keep gutters clean, gardens maintained and make sure there are no trees hanging over their homes," he said.
"I certainly wouldn't stop preparing."
Community safety senior firefighter Stan Smith said all it took was the right weather conditions or irresponsible use of flammable materials for a fire to ignite.
"Fire blankets, extinguishers and alarms are of common knowledge, but you'd be surprised just how many homes don't have these safety implementations," he said.
