Firefighters responded to a private burn-off that jumped into nearby trees in Mount Evelyn on Saturday night, prompting CFA to remind landowners to be vigilant when conducting similar fuel reduction activities.
Five CFA units from Mount Evelyn and Wandin fire brigades responded to the incident.
Mount Evelyn Captain Rick Ventrella said the resident was clearing their property when a light breeze helped embers travel into the bark of multiple trees, which in turn, ignited them.
“While the wind wasn’t too strong or too high for a burn-off to be conducted, it shows that you can never be too careful,” he said.
“If the conditions were a little hotter, a little drier and the wind was a bit stronger, the result could have been much worse.”
With around 15 firefighters on scene, crews were tasked across multiple trees to extinguish the fires.
“It’s a good reminder for landowners to extinguish any burn offs with water and make sure it out totally extinguished to ensure there are no unexpected flare ups,” Cpt Ventrella said.
All burn offs should be registered with Fire Permits Victoria and the burns must be monitored closely.”
Keep your burn-off safe and legal:
- Check fire restrictions with your local council and register your burn on 1800 668 511
- Check and monitor weather conditions - particularly wind
- To avoid unnecessary calls to emergency services, notify your neighbours beforehand
- Leave a three-metre fire break, free from flammable materials around the burn
- Have sufficient equipment and water to stop the fire spreading
- Never leave a burn-off unattended - stay for its entire duration
- If your burn-off gets out of control, call ‘000’ immediately
For more information see the Burning Off section of the CFA website.
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