The Mirror News

CFA warn to take care when burning off

CFA units from Foster, Yanakie and Fish Creek attended a fire in Yanakie last Wednesday and urge anyone burning off rubbish to take care in the placement of their fire.

The property owner was burning a pile of rubbish located about 25 metres from a number of hay bales stacked near his machinery shed. The breeze carried sparks into the semi-dried grass, triggering a grass fire which then ignited the hay bales.

The property owner quickly moved the bales and the three CFA units soon had the fire under control with no damage caused to the shed or machinery.

‘Many people don’t realise how far sparks can travel,” said Yanakie CFA’s Alan Macqueen.

“If burning off, people need to take into account that what appears to be green grass is, in many cases, a combination of green and dry grass due to the very dry weather we’ve been experiencing,” he said.

He added that grass fires can spread very quickly and can easily lead to loss of property and urged anyone wanting to burn off  to ensure, prior to lighting a fire, that the proposed location is as far as possible from hay bales, sheds and buildings. Also important is to check that it is not being lit in an area of dried grass and to make certain ample water is on hand.

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