THE Mallee endured a sweltering start to the week, with temperatures peaking in the mid 40s on Monday and set to climb again on Friday.
As residents seek refuge from the blistering heat, authorities have appealed for locals to abide by fire restrictions, with campers in the region in particular urged not to allow their campfire to become a bushfire.
The blistering conditions have made for a busy period for volunteers, who provided a rapid response to call outs, with a total fire ban for Mallee in force on Sunday and a state-wide fire ban on Monday.
Firefighters in the Swan Hill region battled several fires across the district on Sunday, including a structure fire at Malaya Road in Robinvale and another at 11.30pm on Cumnock Road in Tresco West.
An Emergency Management Victoria State Control Centre (SCC) spokeswoman said seven CFA vehicles attended to the Tresco West incident, with a grass fire contained just after midnight.
Lake Boga Fire Brigade Captain James White said Lake Boga volunteers attended the scene, having already responded to two call outs to scare guns being used on farms prior to that.
Scare guns cannot be used on total fire ban days.
“Then we were called out to a grass scrub fire on Cumnock Road,” he said.
“That was caused by a lightning strike affecting a few acres.
“It was within a property and we were able to quickly bring it under control.”
Monday saw volunteers respond to numerous call outs, including one at council offices, and numerous reports of a fire at Fish Point Road, Pental Island.
Capt White praised the quick response of his crew to Fish Point Road, which was dust called in as smoke.
They received another call out near the caravan park, which he said again, was dust.
“We had five tankers rolled out and a helitack helicopter in the air as well,” capt White said.
Despite the false alarm, Mr White praised the “good” response of volunteers.
Windy conditions continued to create dust haze around the region on Monday before a cool change overnight, with temperatures tipped to peak at a milder 30 degrees yesterday.
The relief won’t last long however, with the mercury rising to 33 today and forecast to hit 37 tomorrow.
Friday and Saturday are once again set to be scorchers, with maximums of 44 and 43 degrees before some much needed relief on Sunday.
Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) has called for campfire safety to be front of mind as some continue to enjoy state forests in the new year.
FFMVic regional manager, Paul Bates, said the message to all campers this summer was simple: Never leave a campfire unattended – don’t let your campfire become a bushfire.
He said it was everyone’s responsibility to ensure they follow the campfire safety rules.
“We want people to get out there and enjoy themselves but make campfire safety a priority for your trip by knowing what you can and can’t do,” Mr Bates said.
“In Central Victoria and surrounds we’ve had 75 bushfires with 27 caused by campfire negligence since July 1, 2019 and this is placing the community at risk.
“Escaped campfires have the potential to turn into bushfires that can impact life, property and the environment, and as well, can affect industry and recreational users of our public land.
“It takes a lot of time, effort and personnel to respond to a fire, so when campfires escape and could have been prevented by following the rules, it’s very frustrating.”
Before heading out, Mr Bates urged campers to plan ahead and check the long-range weather forecast.
“If in doubt on a hot day, don’t light your campfire,” Mr Bates said.
“People are asked to be vigilant about campfire safety and to call triple zero if they see a campfire that doesn’t look right or is unattended.
“Recently, a man was convicted, fined $800 and ordered to pay $123 in court costs after pleading guilty to one charge of allowing a campfire to remain alight on a total fire ban day.”
Under the Forest Act 1958, on-the-spot fines of up to $496 can be issued for people breaching campfire safety rules and a person can face a maximum penalty of up to $16,522 if the matter is prosecuted in court.
