Vic: Bushfire danger for Otway Ranges as hot weather forecast

AAP General News (Australia)
12-01-2003
Vic: Bushfire danger for Otway Ranges as hot weather forecast

MELBOURNE, Dec 1 AAP - Hot weather forecast for this week could put Victoria's Otway
Ranges in danger, a fire chief said today, after two bushfires in the nearby Angahook-Lorne
State Park burnt out more than 370 hectares yesterday.

The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) said the ranges, south-west
of Melbourne, were causing concern because the region was drier than normal.

DSE state fire coordinator John Lloyd said crews would be on high alert this week.

"We are concerned about the Otway Ranges because the area is a lot drier than normal
and with hot weather again forecast this week, crews will be on alert," he said.

"While the area is not as dry as 1983 (the year of the Ash Wednesday bushfires), the
conditions are similar."

Lightning strikes ignited two fires near Anglesea on Saturday, which burnt areas of
250 and 120 hectares before being subdued by rain yesterday afternoon.

The Great Ocean Road was closed between Anglesea and Lorne for about 30 minutes as
the fire burned.

Mr Lloyd said about 95 firefighters from the DSE, the Department of Primary Industries
(DPI), Parks Victoria and the Country Fire Authority monitored containment lines around
the two fires overnight.

He said crews would be scouring public land today to locate fires from lightning strikes
that were still smouldering.

"About seven millimetres of rain fell yesterday, which assisted us greatly, but a specialist
aircraft will scour the area today for any fires that are still smouldering," Mr Lloyd
said.

Two spot fires on Wilsons Promontory in the state's south-east, one on nearby Snake
Island and one near Buldah, in the far east were also being monitored today.

No-one was injured in the fires at the weekend and no property was destroyed.

AAP kh/dk/wjf/bwl

KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES VIC 2ND DAYLEAD

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