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CFA stays ahead of the flame

DISTRICT 5 CFA undertook two planned burns to create major strategic breaks through fuel hazard reduction on Wednesday.

The burns were undertaken on both sides of the Glenelg Highway between the railway crossing just west of Dunkeld, all the way to Mill Road, and on the Hamilton Highway between Kurtzes Road and West Boundary Road near Tarrington.

“In total we burnt around 40 kilometres all up,” District 5 Commander Rainer Kiessling said.

“Nine local appliances from local crews conducted the burns with assistance from the Warrnambool and Torquay brigades as part of our burn task force.”

Commander Kiessling said creating the breaks was necessary and involved the controlled use of fire under carefully managed conditions to reduce fuel such as dead wood, leaf litter, bark, grass and shrubs.

He said the planned burns were run under specified weather conditions by trained firefighters using specific lighting patterns and resources to meet burn objectives.

Commander Kiessling also took the opportunity to remind community members who may be planning to go camping over the Easter break to be mindful of the dry conditions especially if they light a campfire.

He said people needed to be aware of days when a Total Fire Ban was called and when fires in the open air were legally restricted.

“The thing is we haven’t had any rain, so the soil dryness index is still very, very dry,” Commander Kiessling said.

“Whilst it might be cooler and foggy in the morning the moisture disappears pretty quickly.

“Obviously we ask people to take due care when lighting a campfire and especially over the Easter break where we expect a lot of people to be camping out.”

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