WELLINGTON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Fire and Emergency is warning hot, dry weather sweeping up New Zealand could bring an elevated fire risk.

Southland is in a restricted fire season following a raft of vegetation blazes, which means that permits are required to light any outdoor fire, according to a Fire and Emergency statement on Tuesday.

Fire and Emergency national advisor for risk management Pete Gallagher said other parts of New Zealand are under watch.

"As that weather climbs up the east coast of both islands, we are starting to see the country dry out," Gallagher said, adding that the country's eastern areas are now starting to get quite dry.

Gallagher urged people to keep an eye on Fire and Emergency's website to see if the fire season status is updated where they live.

He also urged people to make a plan for what to do if a fire gets out of hand, which should include calling emergency services as soon as possible so Fire and Emergency can start to take action while the fire is at a point it can control it quickly and early.

Gallagher warned that people could see clouds or rain and assume that it meant a lower fire risk, but this was not always the case.

"Sometimes it takes quite a lot of rain to really influence the fire index and bring it down to a range that allows an open fire season," he added.