Fire and Emergency is urging South Islanders refrain from lighting any outdoor fires this weekend

MetService has issued a red wind warning for most of Canterbury and orange level warnings for the rest of the South Island.

District Commander Rob Hands, says the winds will make any fire very hard to control and could easily ignite old fires which aren't fully extinguished.

He says anyone who had an outdoor fire in the last two weeks should check the site to ensure it is completely out.