Fire danger period declared

THE Country Fire Authority’s west region, which includes the City of Ballarat along with Golden Plains, Hepburn and Moorabool shires, will enter the fire danger period at 1am on Monday, 13 December.

The CFA announce restriction periods for each Victorian local government areas over summer each year, dependent on weather and fuel curing.

During the fire danger period, residents must follow restrictions around lighting fires in the open air and conducting burn-offs.

District 15 Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Eddie Lacko, said while much of Victoria has experienced above average rainfall during winter, an average fire season can still be devastating.

“Conditions through the last fire season were similar to what we’re expecting this year, and during those months we saw significant grass fires in the north and west of the state,” he said.

“Vegetation across the district is currently very green however, recent severe storms have changed the fuel arrangement on the ground in a number of areas.

“We have seen a great deal of trees that have come down or uprooted along with defoliation of vegetation due to high winds that will also alter the fire behaviour this summer, potentially increasing severity.

For information on restrictions during the fire danger period and days of total fire ban, head to cfa.vic.gov.au.