Burn goes unplanned

By Bridget Brady
UNPREDICTABLE winds caused a planned burn to get out of hand at the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne last week.
The prescribed burn in bushland at the gardens crossed a control line about 2pm on 21 October, affecting about 20 hectares of land with smoke visible from as far away as Officer.
Cranbourne Fire Brigade duty officer Jimmy Dore said 10 tankers from the local area were sent to the fire, and crews spent more than eight hours at the scene.
Mr Dore said the fire stayed within the boundaries of the gardens, with the only concern being an area that fronted private land. The burn spread into an area that the Royal Botanic Gardens had already scheduled for a planned burn in the future.
Cranbourne CFA crew were present during the planned burn, Mr Dore said.
Director of the gardens, Chris Russell, said the incident reinforced the need to continue fire management at the gardens.
“While the spot-over required us to call in additional resources, we are very pleased to have reduced the fuel loads in this area ahead of the summer fire danger period,” Mr Russell said.
He thanked the CFA and staff at the gardens for their assistance.
“We are very appreciative of the assistance provided by the CFA, including volunteers who worked with us into the night and the understanding and support provided by local residents. We regret the impact that the smoke may have caused during the night.”
The fire at Cranbourne prompted a warning from the CFA for Victorians to prepare for the summer fire season.
CFA operations manager Trevor Owen said southern metropolitan region residents should act now to be properly prepared before the arrival of the bushfire season.
“The recent rains have promoted growth in the forests and grasslands and this only needs a few days of warm weather to dry out and become fuel for fires,” Mr Owen said.
“It is the responsibility of individuals to make sure they have a Bushfire Survival plan and that they prepare themselves and their property ahead of the season.”