THE number of total fire ban days across the Wimmera has already surpassed the season average with almost two months of summer left.
Country Fire Authority District 17 operations manager Dale Russell said on average the Wimmera experienced seven to 10 total fire ban days each summer.
He said there had been 12 total fire ban days in the region this summer alone.
A total fire ban is declared by the authority on days when fires are likely to spread rapidly and could be difficult to control.
The declaration means no fires can be lit for the declared district for that day - irrespective of the fire restriction status for a given municipality. Mr Russell said the figures were concerning this early in the season.
“Especially when you consider January and February are hotter periods than December,” he said.
He said the hot and risky fire conditions could continue well into March.
“Lack of rainfall means it’s absolutely dry,” he said.
Mr Russell encouraged Wimmera residents to be vigilant, especially on total fire ban days.
“We’re looking to the public to be fire aware,” he said.
“They need to be careful of what they’re doing – whether it be in work or recreation – with fire.”
He said rain over the past couple of days was not enough to ease the minds of the authority’s firefighters or other firefighting agencies including the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
“We have a lot of hot weather to come,” he said.
Mr Russell said lightning storms across the Wimmera this week and last month were also worrying weather factors.
The region’s brigades have felt the implications of the dangerous conditions.
Horsham Fire Brigade responded to 241 incidents in 2015.
Incidents included fires, car crashes and other miscellaneous matters.
Mr Russell said the figure was the highest the brigade had ever recorded.
The brigade responded to 214 incidents in 2013 and 238 in 2014.
