Victoria’s CFA chief hits back at claims some residents abandoned during fire crisis
Victoria’s CFA chief has hit back at claims that some of the residents hardest hit in the latest fire crisis were abandoned by firefighters.
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Victoria’s CFA chief has hit back at claims that some of the residents hardest hit in the latest fire crisis were abandoned by firefighters.
As authorities continue to monitor least four major fronts burning out of control between Latrobe Valley and East Gippsland on Tuesday, chief officer Steve Warrington said crews were only warned to retreat as part of strategic decision making aimed at saving lives.
“We make no apology for making strategic decisions that ensures in the overall picture that people are safe,” Mr Warrington said.
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“So we will make a decision not to put trucks down a road — we have already had one truck crushed by a tree …
“(Fire crews) are not sitting around and waiting and doing nothing,” he said.
“They are strategically waiting on our direction to do that.”
Premier Daniel Andrews also defended Parks Victoria’s backburning program in the Bunyip State Forest, after those who lost homes were critical of not enough being done.
He said the Bunyip blaze was so intense and fierce it jumped the fire breaks.
“There has been extensive backburning around the Bunyip State Forests when there were conditions to make it safe to do so,” he said.
“Part of the extraordinarily dry conditions we are having means it is incredibly difficult to do that backburning.
“It is not safe to back burn when we have extreme heat and extremely dry conditions.”
It came as campers were warned to stay away from one of the state’s most popular holiday destinations this weekend as a fire continued to burn at Wilsons Promontory.
More than 40 blazes were still burning across the state late on Tuesday.
Emergency Services Lisa Neville confirmed that 2000 firefighters and 80 aircraft were still working across each of the main fire complexes, which had collectively burned more than 45,000 hectares of land — more than 14,000 hectares at Bunyip, 18,000-plus hectares at Licola, 12,000-plus hectares at Dargo and more than 1800 hectares at Yinnar South.
Ms Neville said about 140 homes had been saved from fire “burning almost to the door”.
“I know that there are seven families who have lost homes and are suffering,” she said.
“We will be with those families in coming days, weeks and months.”
Mr Andrews said his government would support those who had lost everything through grant programs and putting pressure on insurance companies to deal with fire claims swiftly.
He said fire bombing campaigns and crews on the ground held the blaze at the Princes Highway in a significant achievement.
Mr Andrews denied new CFA protocols, enacted after Black Saturday, had meant that firefighters could no longer defend homes or properties.
“There are no change to protocols other than those designed coming from terrible past experience to keep people safe. Our firefighters did an outstanding job,” he said.
“Emotions are running high; there are some people who literally have lost everything. I not only feel for them but give them the commitment that if that we will review this and see if there are any other learnings.”