21. Prohibition of certain operations during periods of extreme fire
 hazard---(1) When weather or other conditions arise that, in the opinion
 of a Fire Officer for any district, present an extreme fire hazard
 whereby life and property may be endangered by the outbreak or spreading
 of fires in, into, or from that district, his Principal Fire Officer or
 the Fire Officer (with the approval or confirmation of his Principal
 Fire Officer) may issue, or cause to be issued, by broadcast or other
 effective means, an order by way of fire control measure in respect of
 such area as may be specified in the order, whether within that district
 or not, in the public interest, and notwithstanding any other
 enactment---
   (a) Prohibiting the lighting of fires in the open air; and
   (b) Except in respect of essential services where adequate precautions
         against the outbreak or spread of fire are taken, prohibiting in
         whole or in part the carrying on or continuation of any
         pursuits, operations, occupations, or other activities, whether
         commercial, domestic, recreational, educational, or otherwise
         howsoever, that he considers may cause a fire to start in, or to
         spread in, into, or from the district, or directing that they
         may be carried on or continued only subject to such conditions
         and restrictions as the Principal Fire Officer may impose,
         approve or confirm; and
   (c) Where considered necessary by the Principal Fire Officer,
         directing that no person other than a person residing or working
         therein shall enter the whole or any specified part of the area
         except for the purposes or otherwise as prescribed by the order
         or in respect of essential services where adequate precautions
         against the outbreak or spread of fire are taken---

 and every person who, without the authority of a special permit issued
 pursuant to section 24 of this Act, fails or refuses to comply with the
 requirements of any such order commits an offence against this Act.

   (2) Where there is no Fire Authority for the whole or any part of any
 area to be affected by an order under this section, during the period
 that an order so issued by a Principal Fire Officer or by a Fire Officer
 remains in force, the Fire Authority for the district to which that Fire
 Officer belongs shall be deemed the Fire Authority for that area or part
 and every Fire Officer for that district shall be deemed a Fire Officer
 for that area or part.

   (3) In any case where by reason of an order under this section persons
 are required to cease their usual work and their employers are unable to
 find other employment for them the Fire Authority may, if it thinks fit
 and subject to such conditions as it may impose, make a contribution
 towards the wages of those men. Where the Fire Authority is the Minister
 [of Conservation], such contribution shall be paid out of money
 appropriated by Parliament for the purpose. In all cases the
 contribution may be by grant, subsidy, reimbursement, or otherwise, and
 may, as seems fitting to the Fire Authority, be paid to those persons or
 those employers.
     Cf. 1955, No. 44, s. 20
       In subs. (3) the words ``of Conservation'' were inserted by s. 65
     (1) of the Conservation Act 1987.