General News
14 December, 2023
Residents urged to do the right thing this summer with an increased fire risk for central Victoria
Victorians could face up to 15 years in jail if found responsible for lighting an out of control fire this summer — with authorities reminding residents that their reckless actions could have devastating consequences for the entire community. In...
Victorians could face up to 15 years in jail if found responsible for lighting an out of control fire this summer — with authorities reminding residents that their reckless actions could have devastating consequences for the entire community.
In partnership with state police, Crime Stoppers Victoria has launched a bushfire preventative campaign, ‘You Light It, You Own It’ — aiming to deter people from starting careless or accidental fires.
The initiative follows the release of the Seasonal Bushfire Outlook report, which notes that many areas across the country including central Victoria, are at an increased risk of fire over the upcoming summer period.
According to the report, issued by the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC), the central parts of Victoria have seen a relatively drier winter and spring — leading to “significant rainfall deficits and very low soil moisture”.
With these conditions in tow, indicating the potential of an above-average fire season, residents in the state are being urged to “stop and think” before their actions cause a dangerous blaze.
Crime Stoppers Victoria chief executive Stella Smith said the agency’s campaign served as a crucial reminder to be cautious —especially because bushfires can cause devastation in local communities by claiming lives, displacing families and impacting livelihoods.
“Bushfires can start from actions as simple as lighting a campfire or using farm machinery and power tools on a hot and windy day,” she said.
“No one wants to be responsible for risking lives from an out of control fire, so we want to encourage people to make the right decisions.
“The forecast is for a hot summer and we want the community’s help to stop bushfires before they start.”
Data recorded by the Crime Statistics Agency indicates that in the year ending June 2023, there were 29 offences in Victoria for causing a bushfire.
These crimes not only pose serious risks for the entire community — but they also carry significant jail time for offenders.
“For areas at risk of fire, expect to see a highly visible police presence, particularly during Fire Danger Periods, expect to be spoken to by police and understand this, if you light a fire, you own it,” Victoria Police Detective Inspector Chris Murray said.
“If you’re responsible for a fire that gets out of control, you will be investigated, with penalties ranging up to 15 years jail. The maximum penalty for arson causing death in Victoria is 25 years imprisonment.
“You don’t want your actions to be the cause of a bushfire. Ask yourself this, if the fire gets away from me, can I control it? If the answer is no, don’t light it.”
Locally, in the past week alone, there have been multiple instances of reckless fire-related behaviour — with two fires lit under suspicious circumstances in Maryborough and Carisbrook as well as an accidental grass fire near Avoca.
These incidents highlight the need for a campaign like “You Light It, You Own It’, according to CFA Goldfields Group Officer Peter Higgins, who also encouraged people to report suspicious activities if they observe it.
“Police and CFA are all playing the same game — we work on a zero tolerance rule,” he said.
“Rules state that you simply cannot light a fire during the Fire Danger Period and so when people do something illegal, it’s a drain on resources because police and CFA get diverted from other important tasks.
“To help prevent these situations, people should definitely get in touch with the authorities if they see anything questionable.”
Referring to AFAC’s bushfire outlook — which suggests that while the Central Goldfields Shire (CGS) is bordering high-risk zones, the district itself is likely to have an average fire season — Mr Higgins said that it was important to remember once a fire started, it would not discriminate between boundaries.
“The area is surrounded by forests so the potential is always reasonably high,” he said.
“A fire doesn’t have to start in the goldfields for the goldfields to be tarnished by a fire that started a couple of kilometers away. There are no limits for a fire in that respect, it’s not going to stop at a certain road and then not go any further — they just keep going till we’re able to put them out.
“Just because we’re expected to have an average season, on a windy day, things could get very bad.”
With the potential of a dangerous fire breaking out locally as well, Mr Higgins warned against being complacent.
“Keep your eyes open and keep your wits about especially on bad days because it doesn’t take much for a fire to spread — it can start small and get big very quickly,” he said.
“Your fire plan should be in the back of your mind at all times. That is one of the most important things and we want to keep driving that message home.
“I think the community has done a good job with cleaning up their properties ahead of the season, I just hope that they continue to stay on top of things.”
To complete a fire plan online, go to fireplanner.vic.gov.au and to keep up to date with bushfire news and the local fire danger ratings, visit emergency.vic.gov.au/prepare/#fire/fire-danger-ratings
You can also read the full Seasonal Bushfire Outlook on www.afac.com.au
Rainfall could see increased fire activity this summer
Recent rainfall trends have contributed significantly to the bushfire outlook for this summer, with areas deemed to have an average fire risk like the Central Goldfields warned of potentially “significant fire activity” into next year.
Even though the Central Goldfields Shire is under no extra threat then any other summer according to the outlook, the report stated there is above average flammable vegetation in central Victoria.
“After three wet years, even areas deemed to have average fire risk, could still see significant fire activity, particularly where extra growth dries out, so communities are encouraged to prepare and maintain a high level of awareness in all areas through the summer period,” the outlook states.
This is due to the increased rainfall from 2020-2022. According to the BoM, 2022 saw the third highest level of annual rainfall of 791 mm in the history of Maryborough since rainfall data has been collected back in 1878.
This followed the annual rainfall of 610 mm in 2021 which was above average and 510 mm in 2020.
What followed was a drier winter and spring in 2023 with all but one of those months surpassing the average monthly rainfall. September was especially dry with its 11.8 mm of rainfall being the fifth lowest in the history of Maryborough.
In line with being prepared, the Central Goldfields Shire Council has started its roadside slashing program in north Dunolly for fuel reduction and emergency corridor purposes.
Council’s general manager of infrastructure, assets and planning Matthew Irving said this annual management undertaking will also involve other areas in the community.
“Work is being done up in the Dunolly area at the moment and now they are starting to move towards Timor,” he said.
“We also have a crew in the Talbot area and we hope that rural road slashing will be completed by the end of this calendar year, with township slashing being completed shortly after.”