WITH another heatwave on the way local pine forestry giant OneFortyOne Plantations has reminded the community to remain vigilant and be well-prepared.
OFO fire and safety manager Justin Cook said with temperatures expected to be very high this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, people should be “really careful”.
“Using things such as lawnmowers, welders, grinders or anything that can create a spark, can quickly turn into an out of control fire on those hot and windy days,” he said.
“Anybody who lives in South Australia or rural Victoria needs to have a bushfire action plan prepared and the Country Fire Service are running a great program of five minute bushfire action plans.”
Describing the bushfire in Mumbannar last Thursday, Mr Cook said forest owners from across the region were quick to dispatch their fire crews to help contain the blaze.
The fire started in a shed at a timber mill on Palpara Settlement Road at around 1pm, however hot and windy conditions saw the blaze spread quickly into scrub and blue-gum plantation in a south-easterly direction.
A total of 29 crews from the County Fire Authority (CFA) responded quickly to the fire, while crews from OFO, Timberlands, Green Triangle Forest Products, PF Olsen, HVP Planatations, SFM and Forest Fire Management Victoria were also promptly on scene to help volunteers.
“After lunch we received news the fire had started at Mumbannar and majority of forest owners dispatched resources to assist with combating that fire,” Mr Cook said.
“OFO sent a Fireking and a bulk water carrier along with a fire supervisor and when they arrived they made contact with the incident controller and worked in conjunction with the CFA, CFS and forest industry brigade fire units.”
An emergency warning was issued to the public at around 3.13pm, notifying residents of Mumbannar and Wanwin the fire may threaten their safety.
Mr Cook said the blaze posed a significant threat to two houses and road closures caused significant delays for people planning to travel along the Princes Highway through Victoria.
“This fire was burning alongside the Princes Highway, so it impacted on the major transport and tourist route through Victoria,” he said.
“There were two houses immediately threatened by the fire and if it had not been able to be pulled up, it could have gotten into farmland and burned a large area.”
While the fire did not pose a great threat to OFO’s assets, a pre-arranged mutual aid agreement saw the group required to attend.
“It did not pose a threat to OFO’s assets immediately, but we are a member of the forest owners’ cooperative and all the members support each other by providing fire resources to fires on other people’s land,” Mr Cook said.
“We have a map and depending on where a fire occurs, the pre-arranged agreement indicates which forest owners must send fire crews to certain areas.”
After the blaze burned around 59 hectares, fire crews were able to get it contained at around 7.30pm on Thursday, however the Princes Highway was not re-opened to commuters until Friday evening.
“Thursday evening there was a bulldozer line around it, but after that happens, the hard work starts with mopping up and blacking out,” Mr Cook said.
“The main aim was making the Princes Highway safe by removing trees that had been impacted by the fire, so there was no risk of falling trees when it was re-opened.”
With temperatures around 40C, Mr Cook said there was some concern about the intensity of the blaze with the fire danger index rating just shy of catastrophic.
“It was a very bad fire day with the fire index rating reaching 90 nearing 100, which is catastrophic, so when the fire was burning in the roadside vegetation, with the wind funnelling down the road, it was travelling pretty well,” he said.
“One of the crew queried whether the thermometer in the car was correct because it was at 40C and according to the Bureau of Meteorology that was pretty accurate.”
