With fire restrictions now lifted across the state, landowners are taking the opportunity to burn off grass, stubble, weeds and undergrowth to maintain their properties.
The CFA reminds Victorians to monitor local weather forecasts in the lead up to ignition.
In 2023, more than 22,500 volunteer hours were utilised responding to incidents involving escaped private burn-offs.
Most call outs were during April and May and later in spring from September to November.
CFA acting chief officer Garry Cook said the findings from these statistics are a timely reminder for private landowners to make sure they have enough people and water on hand to monitor, contain and extinguish their burn-off safely.
“The incidents in 2023 resulted in over 12,100 volunteers jumping on the truck to respond. This year, we would love to see that number decline significantly,” he said.
“We know burn-offs can flare-up several days afterwards, so it is important residents are consistently monitoring wind conditions before and after their burning day, while also notifying their neighbours to be mindful of smoke.
“The overarching message is clear — please don’t leave your burn-off unattended.”
Victorians are urged to register their burn-offs online through the Fire Permits Victoria website to provide agencies with important information to manage fire risk effectively and to allow Triple Zero call takers to focus on emergency calls.
“Of the 815 escaped burn-offs, 69 per cent of them had no record of being registered and 113 required more than five CFA vehicles,” Mr Cook said.
“If you light a fire to burn-off, you own it. Registering it is important and may avoid unnecessary responses from CFA brigades, but it does not remove your responsibility.”
Register your burn-off using Fire Permits Victoria at https://www.firepermits.vic.gov.au/ or by calling Triple Zero Victoria on 1800 668 511.
For more information on how to prepare your property and burn-off safely go to: https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/prepare
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