Bushfire attack

By Paul Pickering
FIREFIGHTERS are calling for people to watch out for firebugs after a roadside blaze in Ferny Creek.
Lilydale Police and DSE investigators suspect that the fire in scrub at the Devil’s Elbow on Mt Dandenong Tourist Road was deliberately lit in grass at the side of the road.
It quickly spread up the steep bank and burned half an acre of bushland before it was brought under control by fire crews who were on the scene in minutes.
However, firefighters say embers could have easily spread the fire across the road.
“All it would have taken is some embers to leap the road into Tremont and it would have been real trouble,” said Upwey CFA captain Peter Marke.
Members of the Upwey, Upper Ferntree Gully and Sassafras-Ferny Creek CFA attended the site at about 8.30pm on Thursday, 11 January.
Tremont has been prone to bushfires in the past and the CFA regards the area as a significant threat point.
The blaze was the second at the hairpin stretch of road in six weeks after a similar incident just 20 metres away in late November.
Thursday’s fire was reported to a Tremont service station by a passer-by and to 000 by a motorist.
Mr Marke said crews were able to respond quickly to the incident after being alerted as they were leaving a neighbourhood fire-awareness meeting at Forest Park Road in Upwey.
However, he said the Upwey CFA response was hampered by an unusual incident at the fire station.
“As we were preparing to attend the fire, an intoxicated person came into the station and stole one of our helmets,” he said.
The thief was chased down by one of Mr Marke’s men and the helmet was recovered but the young man fled on foot.
Mr Marke’s frustration was evident in his appeal for greater cooperation from the community.
“We’re calling for everyone to be on the lookout for suspicious events and individuals. “We need to help the police in the area of vigilance.”
Mr Marke noted that the speed with which Thursday’s fire charred the hillside strip is an indication of the area’s present vulnerability to fire. He said that drought conditions have provided plenty of fuel to accelerate the movement of fires.
“This year is showing all the hallmarks of the really bad years (for bushfires), the last thing we need is fire bugs going around.”
In response to growing concern, Mr Marke will announce another fire-awareness meeting to be held at the Upwey Community Hall in the coming weeks.