Victoria DSE Fire Situation Overview - March 21, 2009
Incident: Australia 2009 Support Wildfire
Released: 3/20/2009
Fires Today - Summary of Incidents on Public Land
Planned burns begin across Victoria. Read more about Autumn planned burnsFire updates - further information about significant fires
Fire Maps - more detail about areas affected by fires
ABC radio - listen to ABC radio for urgent updates
CFA website - for fires on private land
Information Services page - for additional help and resources.
48 Fires Listed
06:07 Saturday, 21 March 2009
Statewide fire situation summaryInformation last updated:21/03/2009 6:07:15 AM This season there have been 684 fires attended by the Department, 48 of these are yet to be declared safe. FIRE STATUS NUMBER
GOING 0
CONTAINED 1
CONTROLLED 47
SAFE 575
SAFE - NOT FOUND 50
SAFE - FALSE ALARM 11
NOT FOUND 0
UNKNOWN 0
Fire StatusDefinitions: GoingA Going fire is spreading on an external edge, in whole or in part. ContainedA Contained fire is not spreading beyond the perimeter or an external edge but requires continuous suppression action to bring about a "Controlled" situation. ControlledA Controlled fire requires routine patrol including occasional mopping up work.
Fires Today - Updates on Significant Fires:
Local fire alerts are in the information update box belowPlanned burns begin across Victoria. Read more about Autumn planned burns
Statewide fires - map and list of fires on public land
Fire maps - more detail about areas affected by fires
The following updates are for public land fires.
CFA website - fires on private land
Information Services - additional information and resources
Falling tree branches
Emergency relief centres
If you are under threat from fire
Health related issues
Park closures
Road closures & travel warnings
STATEWIDE OVERVIEW:
For information on Total Fire Ban status, please check with the CFA at http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/1process content.cfm main=9&page=2
General information:
The fires which started in early February are now Under Control. Under Control means the complete perimeter of the fire is secured with solid control lines, however these fires will continue to be patrolled and blacking out may still be required in some places. Fire agencies are confident that these fires will not break control lines given the prevailing weather conditions.
These fires currently pose no threat to communities.
Residents within fire affected regions are reminded that there may still be some intermittent fire activity and localised smoke behind control lines over coming days. Falling trees and tree limbs are also an ongoing hazard, and this danger could continue for several weeks to come.
Wilsons Promontory National Park will be closed until the end of March 2009. For further information regarding park closures please check the Parks Victoria website.
DSE, Parks Victoria and Tourism Victoria are encouraging visitors to take advantage of the easing fire situation and return to regional Victoria's parks, forests and tourism destinations.
Travellers and campers should still be careful in fire affected areas for hazards such as falling trees, tree limbs and flash flooding as a result of heavy rainfall. These could remain a danger for many weeks to come.
For camping options and park closures visit the Parks Victoria website .
Relief Centres:
Information is available on the DSE website about the location and operating hours of Emergency Relief Centres.
Core advice for all fire areas:
· There may still be localised smoke in the vicinity of fire affected areas.
· Road use in fire affected areas may still be hazardous. Watch out for fallen trees, power lines, abandoned cars, and emergency services vehicles still operating in the area.
· Be aware of weather conditions over the coming months when in or near fire affected areas. There is a risk of flash flooding and resulting landslides from burnt catchments if there is intense rainfall, with a danger to people close to creeks and streams.
· Road users are also asked to be aware of native animals that may be crossing roads in fire affected areas in search of food and to drive slowly to avoid injuring them.
· Residents should expect that many branches may fall from nearby trees in the coming weeks, and should be vigilant to protect themselves from injury.
· People in fire prone or affected areas need to remain alert as there may not be warning should conditions change unexpectedly. Continue to listen to ABC or local radio for updates.
· Be prepared to activate your bushfire survival plan if necessary.
· Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.
