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Bogong Complex (South) Fire Update

Mild weather conditions gave fire fighters the opportunity to work harder

By DSE/CFA - 28th January 2003 - Back to News

Milder weather conditions than expected overnight gave fire fighters the opportunity to work hard on containment lines and backburns on the southern sector of the Bogong complex fire, particularly in the Hotham area near Mt St Bernard.

Yesterday’s spotover in this area, 5kms east of Mount Hotham, has burnt approximately 20 hectares and is burning fiercely in steep terrain. Ground crews and heavy plant machinery will attempt to put a line around this fire this morning, but control will be difficult due to the steep country and poor visibility. If visibility improves, aircraft will be used to assist in suppression efforts.

CFA and DSE/DPI crews are still fighting hard to protect private property in affected areas, particularly in Hotham, Omeo, Benambra and surrounding communities. These communities are still on high alert for the extreme fire weather predicted over the weekend.

There will be Community Information meetings held in Nowa Nowa today at the Community Health Centre at 10.00am and at Gelantipy Fire Station at 2.00pm. These meetings are run jointly by the CFA and Department of Primary Industries staff and give residents the opportunity to hear the latest situation, find out how it may affect them and ask questions about the fire control effort.

A new Gippsland Community Fire Information Unit has been established at the Traralgon DPI office for the Gippsland region, jointly managed by CFA and DPI staff and the police. A community advice line has been set up here for anyone affected by the fires to obtain information relevant to their situation.

This number will give people information on every aspect of the fire situation in Gippsland, bushfire preparation and planning and further contacts that they might need.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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