By KATH GANNAWAY
A WESBURN resident is calling on Yarra Ranges Council to enforce by-laws that ban burning off in June and July in residential bushland areas.
The restrictions, under council’s Open Air Burning Local Law, were brought in to help minimise the health and amenity impacts of smoke.
Residents in rural zones can still burn for fire prevention purposes in June and July, but not on Sundays, smog alert and total fire ban days.
Wesburn resident Jackie Murphy said burning off in the Upper Yarra on private property and on Crown Land was blanketing the valley with smoke, despite the laws, which, she says, are not being adequately enforced.
Ms Murphy said she reported a fire in the national park at the end of Dee Road, Wesburn, to Yarra Ranges Council on 14 June, but despite the report it was still burning early into the evening.
She said when she reported another burn-off in a local street in Wesburn, she was asked whether she had asked the property owners to put the fire out.
On a drive down the line that same day, Ms Murphy said people were burning off in Coldstream, East Seville, near Healesville and in the Warramate Hills.
In emails responding to Ms Murphy’s concerns, dated 16 June, Peter Wright, Health and Local Laws executive officer said a ranger had, in fact, attended the reported national park fire, but that it appeared to be about a kilometre into the park.
Mr Wright said attempts to contact the Department of Environment Land Water and Planning on the day were unsuccessful and that they had been unable to establish who was responsible for the fire.
As council doesn’t have jurisdiction over State Government land, he said fires in the state park should be reported to DELWP.
In relation to the other Wesburn fire, Mr Wright said their ranger had, in fact, made direct contact with the resident on the Sunday afternoon of the report and that the fire was put out.
“The resident claimed not to know about the restrictions and has now been educated,’ he advised Ms Murphy.
Mr Wright said the council placed vinyl banners on their banner poles advertising the June/July bans, and had included information in their May/June ‘local’ publications.
Residential Bushland Zone includes all or part of the following areas;
Belgrave, Belgrave Heights, Belgrave South, Coldstream, East Warburton, Ferny Creek, Healesville, Kalorama, Kallista, Launching Place, Menzies Creek, Millgrove, Monbulk, Montrose, Mt Dandenong, Mt Evelyn, Olinda, Powelltown, Sassafras, Selby, Seville, Seville East, Sherbrooke, Tecoma, Upwey, Wandin North, Warburton, Wesburn, Woori Yallock, Yarra Glen and Yarra Junction.
For information on winter burning laws visit www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au .
The Mail asked Yarra Ranges Council for a formal response to Ms Murphy’s concerns, but did not receive one before deadline.
