FIRE authorities are warning residents in central and northern Victoria to prepare for three days of severe to extreme fire danger from Friday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Temperatures are set to soar into the mid to late 30s and early 40s from Friday through to Sunday, with 41 forecast for Bendigo on Saturday.
CFA assistant chief officer Mike Wassing said Saturday was shaping as the worst day of the summer so far in terms of fire danger ratings.
"We've had a couple of days so far with severe ratings, but on the lower end of the scale," he said.
"Saturday looks to be at the higher range of severe, with the potential to move into extreme."
He said the exact rating would be more clear closer to the day.
"We've had a number of individual fire days so far, but this is three days in a row of high temperatures, with the middle of those days in particular a danger," he said.
Mr Wassing said a late change and a chance of lightning on Saturday afternoon were likely to prove the most dangerous.
"We do know whenever we get a late change, we get a lot of wind," he said.
"The increase in winds, combined with high temperatures, low relative humidity and high winds creates significant fire risk.
"It’s those days we like not to have fires on, but we regularly do, especially in northern Victoria."
Mr Wassing said fire authorities were keen to give advance warning to holiday makers heading bush for a long weekend over the New Year period.
"We want to make sure people are not doing things like lighting campfires or riding motorbikes and the potential for hot exhausts to spark fire in grass," he said.
Mr Wassing said while emergency services were well prepared for the fire danger period, a day like Saturday presented two main issues for fire authorities.
"Currently there are a number of fires we are dealing with (still burning), we need to make sure we keep existing resources there to mop up and black out and then balance that with our capacity to address new fires," he said.
He said the CFA, DEPI and police would have a "zero tolerance" approach when it came to reckless or careless behaviour such as lighting fires, mowing lawns or using inappropriate machinery.
"We're very much relying on people doing the right thing on those days," he said.
"Avoid all these things on Friday, Saturday and Sunday."
He said people should "have a plan A, have a plan B and a plan C" when it came to safety.
DEPI regional manager of fire and land for Loddon Mallee Scott Falconer echoed the assistant chief officer's warnings.
"Right across state, but particularly in the north west of the state, conditions are very dry and things are ready to burn," he said.
"Our precautionary message to people would be when in doubt, don’t light a fire.
"On non Total Fire Ban days, strict criteria still applies, dig a pit of at least 30cm and ensure three meters of land is cleared around that area, the fire area can't be bigger than one square metre, it cannot be left unattended, and absolutely must be put out after you finish. It must be put out with water, not just buried.
"We’re really asking people to be really careful, it’s their families they're taking out into these places.
"Question whether you really want to be camping in the bush on high 30 degree days."