By Tanya Steele
Macclesfield CFA was paged to a lightning fire in the local bushland on Monday 27 January around 5pm and were soon joined by a number of other brigades.
Multiple CFA quickly responded to the call out and thanks to the rapid, multi-brigade response, the fire was swiftly brought under control.
Emerald Fire Brigade, Cockatoo Rural Fire Brigade, Yellingbo Rural Fire Brigade and Monbulk Fire and Rescue were part of the enhanced response for the call out along the southern end of Kennedy Road.
Macclesfield CFA Captain Sharon Merritt said it was a dry thunderstorm that came through with very little rain and the surrounding vegetation was already quite dry.
“When the lightning struck it didn’t take much to start a fire and spread to the surrounding bushland,” she said.
“The catchment area is a mix of grass and bushland and access can be difficult.”
“It can make it difficult to get trucks in.”
Ms Merritt said it was fortunate that it was a public holiday, as more volunteers were available.
“We are getting crews ready for the next hot spell and getting prepared,” she said.
CFA had declared a Total Fire Ban (TFB) for the Wimmera, Mallee, South West, Central, and North Central regions that day.
“Understand the how the increased fire risk will impact you and ensure your fire plan covers all possible contingencies,” said CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan.
The recent fire serves as a reminder of how quickly a fire can spread in hot and windy conditions.
BoM has forecast widespread heat waves that will continue across Australia this weekend, bringing hot days with temperatures 6-12°C warmer than average.
Victorians can find out if it is a Total Fire Ban on the CFA website www.cfa.vic.gov.au, where it is usually published by 5pm the day before a Total Fire Ban.
For more information on what you can and can’t do visit the Can I or Can’t I page on the CFA website.
Victorians should also make sure they have access to more than one source of information.
