Liam McNally
As Moorabool and Melton fire authorities deal with a dangerous grassfire season, the Climate Council is warning Australians to prepare for “grass fires on a scale never-before experienced”.
A new report from Climate Council and Emergency Leaders for Climate Action (ELCA), Powder Keg: Australia Primed to Burn warns that three years of La Niña have led to prolific vegetation growth, creating ‘powder keg’-like conditions for fires.
Former Fire and Rescue NSW commissioner and ELCA founder Greg Mullins said that the new vegetation is now drying and turning into fuel as we experience hotter, drier conditions.
“There is an increased risk this year of major grass fires breaking out during hot, dry and windy weather across NSW, Queensland, Victoria, SA, and Western Australia up to and possibly including April,” he said.
“All levels of government need to understand the escalating risk of devastating fires and ramp up preparedness now,” said Mr Mullins.
Melton council operations manager Brandon Sell said council is aware spring conditions have increased grassfire risk in Melton, and council has been “working diligently with land managers to reduce this risk accordingly”.
“Summer conditions have allowed council to get on top of the grass mowing issue and, over the last few months, we have prioritised roadsides that form a strategic fire break and continue to manage our roadsides and undeveloped reserves to reduce our fire risk,” he said.
Moorabool mayor Rod Ward urged residents to ensure all grass and vegetation around their property is maintained.
“Council officers are still surveying the area and will take action on unmaintained properties,” he said.
Australia’s most widespread grass fires on record followed a long La Niña in 1974 and 1975. Some 117 million hectares burnt across the country, even in desert areas.
So far this summer, there have been 15 grass fires across Melton and Moorabool, which is higher than the previous two years, but well below the 69 grass fires that occurred in the 2019 season.
CFA deputy chief officer Alen Slijepcevic said the highest danger period is “right now”, but was more measured about the threat level.
“We have had a number of grass fires happening all around Victoria in the last couple of weeks in hot, dry, windy conditions,” he said.
“The majority of the grass will be cut for hay as a lot of people have done, and the crops have been harvested which has reduced the fuel load and made the fires easier to suppress.
“People need to do what they should be doing in Victoria every year – have their plans ready, pay attention to warnings and agencies, download EmergencyVic app, and do some clean up around their properties.”
