The Country Fire Authority is urging residents to be more vigilant after a record number of fire investigations last year.
Investigators attended 50 fire scenes in District 14, which includes Melton, to discover the origin and cause of each fire.
The scenes were a combination of 35 structure fires (properties, sheds, factories, buildings and garages) and 15 bushfires, making it the CFA’s sixth-worst district for suspicious fires.
Investigators attend scenes when there has been a fatality, serious injury or significant damage, when the origin or cause of the fire cannot be determined, when a fire is deemed suspicious or when CFA property is involved.
District 14 fire investigation co-ordinator Geoff Ranzenhofer said many fires could be prevented if people were more careful.
“Firefighters spend a lot of time at fires that shouldn’t have occurred,” Mr Ranzenhofer said.
“I would estimate that at least 40-50 per cent of fire attendances may not have been needed if people had extinguishers on hand or were not doing tasks on high-risk days.”
Meanwhile, in District 15, which stretches from Moorabool to Ballarat, investigators attended 46 scenes (35 structure, nine bush and two vehicle fires). This was a significant jump from 28 investigations in 2013.
Mr Ranzenhofer said people were unaware how fast fires can travel and how much damage they can cause.
“They’re not aware of what can potentially occur and they’re unaware of how fast a fire can spread from something so small,” he said.
Many homes in Melton are without fire blankets, extinguishers and working smoke alarms, which are vital to saving lives and containing the blazes, Mr Ranzenhofer said.
“You’re looking at only $25 for an extinguisher, and smoke alarms are the number one thing that’s going to save someone’s life,” he said.
“The initial action of using a fire extinguisher reduces the impact of the fire.”
Be alert for arsonists
The state government is reminding Victorians to be on high alert for arson activity. Since December, the CFA has responded to more than 170 suspicious fires across the state.
“While it has been a relatively mild summer compared to previous years, Victoria is one of the worst bushfire risk areas in the world so people need to remain vigilant,” Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett said.
“Arson is a cowardly act that can have devastating repercussions on the public and the environment.”
The Australian Institute of Criminology estimates about half of all bushfires are due to arson.
Anyone with information is urged to contact CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.
