CFA warns campfires, burn-offs pose serious bushfire threat
The CFA is urging Victorians to be careful with recreational fires this summer as worrying data reveals about a quarter of all bushfires are linked to private fires that grew out of control.
Victoria
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The Country Fire Authority has raised concerns over recreational fires, with figures showing they are linked to about a quarter of all bushfires.
Data from Victoria’s past 10 bushfire seasons indicated 27 per cent of bushfires were started by escaped private fires.
The CFA said there were many preventable incidents of people not taking enough care with campfires and private burn-offs.
Its report into the cause of bushfires found 13 per cent were sparked by previous fires rekindling after not being properly extinguished.
The figures showed 6 per cent were caused by inadequately controlled fires, 4 per cent were caused by high wind and 3 per cent escaped after being left unattended.
With the state’s travel restrictions lifted, CFA acting Chief Officer Garry Cook said it was a timely warning for people to take extra care when undertaking burn-offs or enjoying campfires and other recreational fires.
““Unfortunately, many bushfires start from escaped campfires and other recreational fires,” he said. “It’s vital to know how to properly light and maintain a campfire to make sure it doesn’t go bush.”
Mr Cook urged everyone who was going on a camping getaway or carrying out a burn-off to check fire restrictions and weather conditions.
“Not only the day of your fire but in the following days when a badly extinguished fire can flare up in hot and windy weather,” he said.
He said burn-offs posed a significant risk when not done safely.
“We urge people to exercise extreme caution when cleaning up properties using private burn-offs, and encourage people to visit our website for tips on how to safely do that,” he said.
Fires should never be left unattended, and campers were reminded to extinguish their fire using water, not soil, as fires can smoulder under soil for several days and reignite under certain conditions.
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