We have three significant arson risks on our hands in Bendigo.
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Two have gained significant notoriety and police attention: the deliberate lighting of fires for kicks and the calculated torching of stolen cars.
But the third is probably the simplest and the most preventable as it is almost invariably driven by nothing more than stupidity and carelessness.
It is, of course, the largely unthinkable habit of tossing lit cigarettes away, especially from cars.
There is a peculiar mindset among far too many smokers that somehow doesn’t consider cigarette butts as rubbish.
But even such a seemingly innocuous action can become a big problem quickly when the conditions lend themselves to it.
On Wednesday, CFA crews were called out to the Schaller Studio in Lucan Street after a smoker discarded a lit cigarette in a garden bed.
The ensuing fire spread under the building to a storage area, but thankfully it was quickly extinguished.
There is no excuse for littering, and certainly no excuse for discarding lit cigarettes at the height of summer when the landscape is tinder dry.
Central Victoria’s wetter than average winter means that grass and weeds along roadside verges are extremely flammable.
A burning cigarette, long, dry grass and a bit of wind are all the ingredients necessary for an inferno.
While CFA response times are swifter and better than ever, the point is still the same; small runaway grass fires can quickly turn into something that destroys homes and lives. Victoria Police and the CFA have reiterated their appeals for everyone to remain vigilant. Swift reporting means a better chance of action.
Vigilance will also help because one sure thing can help change behaviour. The EPA has the power to issue an infringement or fine to the owner of registered vehicles if litter is thrown out of their vehicle.
Almost 90 per cent of litter fines the EPA issues relate to lit and unlit cigarette butts being thrown from vehicles and more than 20,000 people are reported to EPA each year.
After matching reported vehicle details with VicRoads, the EPA will send an infringement notice.
The fine is $311 for a small piece of rubbish or unlit cigarette to $622 for a lit cigarette. That is something to think about for those who clearly don’t think.