An independent report released yesterday into the circumstances surrounding the fires pulled no punches in its assessment.

Locals demanding answers on how the controlled burn was allowed to escape containment lines gathered in Lancefield Hall yesterday.

These very people were the same ones who in October needlessly had their lives threatened and properties destroyed in what should have been a routine burn-off.

What they heard from Murray Carter, the lead investigator tasked with unravelling, would have filled them with rage.

The scathing report found unequivocally that the fuel reduction burn started days before the AFL grand final was poorly planned.

Not only that, once it got going, investigators concluded that Victoria’s department of environment failed to adequately manage the fire, despite the unseasonably hot conditions.

Department head secretary Adam Fennessy repeatedly apologised to the assembled audience for botching the burn-off.

“I am very sorry, I am deeply sorry for the distress this fire has caused you,” he said. “And the disruption and the enormous impacts it’s had on your lives.

But the apologies, no matter how genuine, would have been of little comfort for those whose lives were turned upside-down when the fire broke containment lines.

Thankfully, no lives were lost in the bushfire. However, four families were left without a home and thousands of acres were burned beyond recognition.

The report comes at a time when central Victorians are bracing for what is forecast to be one of the worst bushfire season in living memory. High temperatures, strong winds and a lack of rain in recent months has rendered much of the region as dry as a desert.

Residents are repeatedly urged to have a comprehensive bushfire plan in place to improve their chances of survival should a fire breakout.

Tragically, the department failed to take its own advice. If any good can come out of this situation, let us hope that it serves as a wake-up call ahead of what promises to be a long, hot and bushfire season.