Dry soils spark urgent bushfire warning

FIRE authorities are warning Surf Coast Shire residents to prepare now for bushfire season as they brace for continued dry conditions.

Rain deficiency in past years has resulted in dry soils around the municipality with officials encouraging people to get ahead of the conditions.

CFA District 7 Assistant Chief Fire Officer Wayne Aylmer said while there had been some spring rain in the past week, it was not enough to fix the issue.

“The weather outlook is indicating an elevated risk in our part of the region, which is always concerning.

“We’re planning the season that we’re going to have is probably a little bit more elevated than what we’ve perhaps seen in the last couple of years.”

Bushfires burnt throughout the state last season, including in the Grampians, with Mr Aylmer saying the fire could have easily been a reality more locally.

“We probably considered ourselves reasonably lucky last year and hopefully our luck doesn’t run out this year.

“Towards the Grampians, well, that honestly could have been in the Otways. There’s no reason for that other than the lightning hit there and didn’t hit us, and that’s about as simple as it gets.”

Residents are also reminded that as the warmer months arrive and the region experiences some spring rainfall, the risk of grassfires is also present.

Mr Aylmer said for people living in high-risk areas, they needed to do the work now to prepare their property in both instances.

“You need to be connected to things like the Vic Emergency app so that you’re aware when something kicks off and we start putting messaging out there so that you’re able to act quickly.

“Look after relatives who might not be in that space where they receive information digitally over apps and computers.

“Maybe set up a watch area if it’s a parent or something like that, you might set up a watch area so that you’re watching yourself to see what’s going on, and at least you can send information on to them if they’re not capable.”

Residents should also clear dead vegetation, cut grasses to a lower level, clean gutters and move wood piles away from the house.

Fire restrictions will come into force for the Surf Coast on on November 24 and will restrict people’s ability to use fire when cleaning up their property.

For more information, head to cfa.vic.gov.au.