Victoria is facing the dual threat of flash floods and elevated fire risk as state authorities warn of potentially catastrophic conditions this summer.
Some of Victoria’s most popular holiday areas are at increased fire risk over coming months, including Phillip Island, the Mornington Peninsula, South Gippsland and the Otways.
A wet start to the fire season has delayed the immediate threat of fire, but Forest Fire Management Victoria chief fire officer Chris Hardman said the state still could face conditions as dangerous as Black Saturday or Ash Wednesday.
“So if Mother Nature delivers five days of 40 degrees, 70 km/h winds, we could definitely see those types of scenarios,” he said.
Hardman said 10 per cent of bushfires were caused by unattended or illegal campfires, and urged anyone lighting a fire to follow the rules.
“If you light a campfire, it’s your fire,” he said. “It’s your responsibility, and you own it. You cannot put a campfire out with some soil or rake it out and walk away. That’s against the law.”
Much of Victoria has experienced a wet spring, but this comes after prolonged drought throughout south-west Victoria and other parts of the state.
A fire rages near Healesville during the Black Saturday fires. Authorities have warned those conditions could return to Victoria this summer. Credit: Angela Wylie
Other areas at increased threat this summer include the Macedon, Dandenong and Yarra ranges, as well as the wider Grampians region, which includes Bendigo, Ballarat, Castlemaine and Daylesford. Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said the weather bureau was forecasting warmer than normal temperatures for the day and night this summer.