Unsafe campfires a real risk
A f ire left burning in Walhalla last weekend was a timely reminder for people to follow the rules for safe campfires.
Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) is urging campers in Gippsland to ensure their campfires don’t become bushfires.
In the past 12 months FFMVic firefighters have responded to 169 unattended campfires in Gippsland.
These included campfires in dense forest near Walhalla, Aberfeldy, Dargo and Licola.
Last weekend, Baw Baw Shire councillor and Walhalla business owner Michael Leaney found a campfire that had been left smouldering and flames flickering.
He saw the fire in a bush clearing in an area signed with no camping.
In a town surrounded by bush, Cr Leaney said in the right conditions the unattended fire “could be a disaster for the town.”
Campfire negligence causes about 10 per cent of all bushfires in Victoria, placing communities and firefighters at risk.
Campfires need to be extinguished with water, not soil, as fires can still smoulder under soil.
Campfires must not be ignited on total fire ban days, when fires are likely to spread rapidly and be difficult for firefighters to control.
FFMVic and the conservation regulator are undertaking patrols in and around campgrounds in forest across Gippsland.
On-the-spot fines of $496 can be issued to people breaching campfire safety rules. The maximum penalty for lighting a fire during a total fire ban is $39,652, two years in jail or both.
FFMVic Gippsland acting deputy chief fire officer Kelly Rash encouraged people to make campfire safety a priority for their trip.
“Unattended and unsafe campfires can result in devastating consequences – the risk is real, and all campers have a responsibility to know and abide by campfire rules.
“Ignorance is not an excuse when it comes to lighting fires on days of Total Fire Ban. Everyone needs to take responsibility to keep the community safe from bushfires,” Ms Rash said.
Member for Eastern Victoria Region Melina Bath spoke in parliament last week about
the serious risk of abandoned campfires in Gippsland.
Ms Bath said the weekend immediately after the metro-regional border was lifted, FFMVic officers discovered 32 abandoned campfires in just two days.
“With fire season upon us, these statistics are confronting, sending a shiver down the spine of many Gippslanders who are still recovering from last summer’s bushfires.
“A change in weather conditions or one spark flying into dry grass can ignite a bush
fire, threatening wildlife and endangering communities.
“Community members are disturbed by recent vision of abandoned campfires in the Walhalla area, with one left burning beside a clearly marked no camping sign.”
Ms Bath said previous parliamentary reports recommended increasing fines and strengthening enforcement for people who abandon campfires, especially on and before total fire ban days.