By RICHARD BAKER and STEPHEN CAUCHI The Age Austalia
 Dire
fire risk: Werribee CFA members Graeme Bisby, left, and Andrew
Morelli among the long grass that has shot up west of Melbourne.
Picture: JASON SOUTH
Victoria faces
its worst grass fire risk in a decade. Soaking spring rains had
fuelled lush grass growth across the state, the Country Fire Authority
said yesterday.The
warning coincides with today's official start to summer and follows
the state's hottest November on record.
While the
spring rains have eased water restrictions and slaked drought
in many areas, the grass growth has been described as phenomenal,
particularly in regions such as Geelong, the Surf Coast, Gippsland
and the Western District.
CFA state
operations manager Greg Esnouf said grass fires would threaten
numerous suburban and country properties this summer, which the
Bureau of Meteorology expects to be unusually dry.
Mr Esnouf
said it was highly likely serious grass fires would threaten Melbourne's
fringes, with fuel levels in outer suburbs such as Eltham, Springvale,
Hoppers Crossing and Dandenong dangerously high.
"When
that grass cures, fires will burn more intensely than usual and
be much more difficult to put out," he said.
Grass fires, while not as spectacular as forest fires, can move
quickly and are unpredictable. A grass fire that swept across
the Princes Freeway near Lara in 1969 killed 23 motorists trapped
in their cars.
Geelong CFA
officers said earlier this week that grass fuel loads in their
region were at levels unseen for more than 30 years. Victorian
Farmers Federation deputy president Bill Whitehead conceded that
although farmers were delighted with the spring pasture growth,
they faced a dangerous summer.
"It's
frightening. I haven't seen grass this good in western Victoria
in more than 15 years," Mr Whitehead said.
Department
of Natural Resources and Environment chief fire officer Gary Morgan
agreed with the CFA that grass fires posed a bigger threat this
summer than bushfires.
But he warned
that forests, particularly in the Otways, were drying out quickly
and could still cause big problems.
Because of
the abundance of grass the CFA is aiming the thrust of its fire
prevention message at home owners on Melbourne's fringe and in
provincial cities.
Mr Esnouf
said each home owner had to ensure fuel around their house was
minimised and that they had a safety plan to follow if fire threatened.
Adding to
the CFA's concerns about grass fires is the Bureau of Meteorology's
prediction of a hot, dry summer for Victoria.
According
to the bureau's long-range forecast, there is a 70per cent chance
Victoria will have a hotter than average summer, and a 55per cent
chance of lower than average rainfall.
Bureau data
for November released yesterday showed that almost every place
in Victoria registered its highest average minimum and maximum
temperature for the month.
Melbourne's
average minimum of 15.2 was a record. The average maximum of 23.8
was two degrees above normal. Statewide, spring rainfall was above
average.
In Melbourne,
223 millimetres fell - 48 millimetres above average - although
November was drier than usual. Only 35 millimetres fell, 22 millimetres
below average.
Melbourne
Water managing director Brian Bayley said storage levels were
looking far healthier than a few months ago, but users should
still conserve water.
"The
storage level trend is heading upwards, (but) Melburnians cannot
afford to be complacent about water consumption. To avoid having
to increase Melbourne's storage facilities over the long-term
we must consume less water."
Melbourne's
reservoirs are 62.2per cent full, compared with 60.4per cent at
the same time last year.
Good rain
in September and October also replenished many country reservoirs,
according to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
Rural water storages are 67.4 per cent full - 18.5 per cent higher
than at this time last year.
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