Fired by fear

By Bridget Brady
BLIND Bight residents say they are living in fear because their town is a ticking fire bomb.
The residents are most worried about the restrictions in place that forbid clearing or burning the dense bushy area to reduce the fire threat.
About 150 residents, some furious, packed the Blind Bight Community Centre on Monday night to voice their vexations at their “helpless” situation in the coastal villages.
Secretary of the Blind Bight Foreshore Advisory Committee, Bob Wray, said council promised to burn areas of the Blind Bight foreshore about a year ago to clean up the area.
This was never done, but the council said the weather conditions were not ideal for burning at the time.
“It is overwhelming the amount of people who are actually frightened,” Mr Wray said.
There are strict environmental controls in the coastal villages that require a permit for the removal of any vegetation, including dead vegetation because of the environmental significance overlay throughout the coastal village area.
“But homes and lives come first. There are miles of dead shrub and it’s a fire bomb waiting to go off. It’s just ludicrous.”
There was no serious fire damage during the devastating bushfire weekend, but residents say they were lucky.
Mr Wray said the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) did not allow any clearing.
But DSE acting manager of environmental planning Cindy Wood said the City of Casey was responsible for managing the land on the foreshore.
Ms Wood said a committee of management needed to submit an application to DSE if they wanted to remove any native vegetation.
“DSE has not received any applications or requests from the committee of management for the Blind Bight foreshore regarding fire prevention works.”
President of the Blind Bight Community Centre committee of management, Louise McPherson, said it was a struggle between the environmental values and the safety of residents.
“Instead of being a nice secluded area, it has become rubble,” Ms McPherson said.
“Green is nice and I’m all for it, but you’ve also got to think about the safety aspect and the future.”
Captain of the Warneet and Blind Bight CFA Hans DeKraker said people were left in a helpless situation, especially in Warneet.
“It’s all political. People are putting a couple of trees before lives and that’s out of the question sometimes,” Mr DeKraker said.
The issue was brought up as a matter of urgent business at a council meeting on Tuesday night. A report will come back to council at the next meeting about the development of a fire safety plan for the coastal villages.