The CFA is warning of increased fire risk over large parts of the state this summer and that includes Ballarat and western Victoria.
It comes as vegetation fires between October last year and April this year jumped by a whopping 50%.
The increase was accompanied by a 21% rise in fire investigations, revealing that many incidents were caused by avoidable factors.
CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said reducing fire risk this season is critical given the summer outlook for a hot and dry season ahead.
“Many of the incidents we investigated such as escaped burn-offs and machinery related fires were preventable with proper preparation and compliance with fire safety regulations,” Jason said.
“Fires on Total Fire Ban days remained a major concern during the last FDP, with 449 incidents recorded.”
Of the 449 incidents 21% were caused by escaped burn-offs, 9% by campfires, 8% were deemed suspicious and 5% were linked to machinery fires.
The warning comes as parts of Victoria face an increased fire risk this summer including the west, southwest, northeast, southwest Gippsland including Mornington Peninsula and Greater Melbourne.
