General News
22 November, 2024
Brigades control blaze
A mechanical fault has caused a grass fire to burn over two acres on a Red Lion property on Tuesday which according to local emergency services “could have been a lot worse”.
The Talbot Fire Brigade was first called to the scene at approximately 12.15 pm and needed further assistance from Maryborough Fire Brigade and Forest Fire Management to contain the blaze.
“They were making square bails and they had a fire in the bailer,” Talbot Fire Brigade Captain Ross Andrews said.
“They lost about half a dozen big square bails that caught fire from the ensuing grass fire and the bailer itself had superficial internal damage which is an easy fix for them.
“The fire was in an area which was a bit of a concern with bush nearby so it could have been a lot worse than it was but there were some fairly calm weather conditions which helped bring it under control pretty quickly.
“This case was a pure accident which was a fault with the machine that could have happened any day so it was lucky it was on a fairly benign day.”
Emergency crews were able to control the blaze within an hour of attending the scene and no injuries were sustained.
With the Fire Danger Period already commencing locally, Captain Andrews encouraged residents to remain watchful when working on open land.
“It’s a timely reminder to people working out in the open with machines to make sure they have the appropriate firefighting gear necessary under legislation,” he said.
“It makes things a lot easier and can keep fires small.
“Fire season has snuck up a bit this year so people need to be vigilant and cautious of what they do.
“If they think something is a bit risky then postpone that work for another day.”