Residents of Victoria are being urged to remain vigilant and notice the risk of fires no matter where they live, following the release of the National Council for Fire & Emergency Services’ (AFAC*) summer outlook.
Releasing its Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for Summer 2022, AFAC said much of Victoria had experienced significant rainfall during 2022, with highest on record rainfall across northern and central areas in recent months, while parts of the southwest and Gippsland experienced close to average rainfall.
“With such high levels of moisture in the landscape, coupled with a continuing wet outlook, bushfire activity is expected to be limited in most foothill and wet forests this summer,” AFAC said.
“However, drier forests, woodlands and heathlands (inland and coastal) are likely to support bushfire activity with the onset of hot and dry weather conditions,” it said.
“Significant growth of grass fuel in paddocks and roadsides is already evident across much of the state, and likely to continue, however grassland curing is lagging the longer term average.”
AFAC said this meant below normal grass fire activity was expected in early summer, but the risk of grass fires was likely to increase throughout the summer period as curing advanced.
It said suppression resources may have limited access to fires starting within pastures and croplands affected by saturated soils during the early summer period.
“Additionally, high landscape moisture may lead to delayed cropland harvest activities, which may enhance fire risk associated with unharvested crops,” it said.
In a statement the Country Fire Authority (CFA) said that while the State had been hit hard with significant flooding over the past few months, “conditions can change quickly and Victorians need to be ready”.
“Emergency services are keeping an eye on any changes in conditions however the outlook is a good early indication of what we could expect in the summer season,” CFA said.
The AFAC’s Summer Outlook can be accessed at this PS News link.
*Note: AFAC changed its name from Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council to The National Council for Fire & Emergency Services but has kept its original acronym.
