BACCHUS Marsh CFA has put Moorabool residents on notice after a spate of “reckless” grass fires.
Captain Nathan Ractliffe said the most extraordinary grass growth in five years, followed by rapid drying, had created dangerous fuel loads.
“The recent onset of warm weather and strong winds have brought with it a quickly drying landscape,” he said.
“Each year, the Bacchus Marsh fire brigade is called to many illegal fires, many of them started by people unfamiliar with the current laws for prescribed burning.
“Residents should now consider themselves on notice as ignorance is no excuse.”
Brigades from Bacchus Marsh, Coimadai, Parwan, Rowsley and Myrniong were called to three incidents in one week when grass fires were started by burnoffs lit without a permit and by hoons doing burnouts in a paddock.
“People driving in paddocks with their hot exhausts, with long dry grass and warm to hot days . . . wildfires are going to happen,” Mr Ractliffe said.
“People need to be better prepared by conducting fuel reduction like slashing and mineral earth breaks, and not being reckless. The risk to the public and property is unquantifiable.”
Mr Ractliffe urged landholders to think about the consequences of conducting open-air burns without a permit, which is illegal during the fire restriction period (from mid-November to April).
Residents can apply for a permit with Moorabool Council and must register all burns via the burnoff notification hotline on 1800 668 551.
