More than 200 Nillumbik properties at high risk of fire
In the wake of fires that threatened homes near Plenty Gorge and Greensborough, Nillumbik Council is racing against time to make hundreds of stubborn property owners clear their land. So what will happen to people who haven’t complied?
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Nillumbik Council is today conducting another round of sweeping inspections on more than 200 properties rated at high risk of fire.
It comes after a scorching start to summer where flames tore through more than 40ha of Plenty Gorge Parklands, and a grass fire threatened homes at Symon Cres in Greensborough on Saturday.
The council inspected 7325 properties in the lead-up to the fire danger period, including in fire-prone areas such as Kinglake, St Andrews and Strathewen.
During December, 300 clean-up notices were issued. But mayor Karen Egan said 208 landowners had still not complied with the warnings.
People issued with the notices had 21 days to act and while the mid-January deadline has not yet expired, Cr Egan said recent extreme weather conditions spurred the council to do “everything possible” to mitigate fire risk.
The council will work with owners who may be struggling to clear their land or who may need more time.
“We found a lot of vacant parcels of land in both urban and rural parts of the shire where grass needs to be mowed and or slashed,” she said.
“As the mayor, at the end of this terrible fire season I want to have my hand on my heart and say that we have done absolutely everything possible to prevent the fire risk.”
Non-compliance from property owners can result in the council clearing the land and billing the owner.
Cr Egan, who lost her Watsons Creek home to fire in 2015, said she understood the trauma of “losing everything” and the council was doing “more than ever” to make the land safe.
She said 24 backburns were already planned for the start of autumn, while 82 parks and reserves had been inspected, 410km of roads maintained, as well as 250km of roadside hazard removal.
“This summer, as well as Ash Wednesday and Black Saturday, are all extreme and what marries up are the fuel loads — we’ve got to reduce it,” she said.
Diamond Creek CFA bushfire management co-ordinator Fiona Macken advised Nillumbik residents to keep grass to less than 10cm, especially within the first 10m around the home.
“Keep gutters clean around the home, clean up wood piles, flammable materials and other flammable debris,” she said.
“Trim vegetation so there are no continuous lines of vegetation which would act as a conduit and bring fire to the home.”
She also urged landowners to remove any tree limbs hanging over roofs and use nonflammable mulch around the house.
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Cr Egan said the council had been swamped with donations for bushfire victims across Victoria, but urged those wanting to help to donate cash instead.
“We got so many donations during Black Saturday that a lot of it had to go to landfill,” she said.
“If you donate cash then those affected can use the money as they need to help them during this crisis.”