General News
9 February, 2023
Close call for Daisy Hill homes
The quick response of local emergency services saved two homes from a grassfire in Daisy Hill earlier this week. A number of fire brigades from the district, as well as Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) were called to an address on Shaws...
The quick response of local emergency services saved two homes from a grassfire in Daisy Hill earlier this week.
A number of fire brigades from the district, as well as Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) were called to an address on Shaws Road, Daisy Hill just after 2 pm on Monday afternoon to reports of a grass and scrub fire in close proximity to houses.
The fire started at one property and spread to a neighbour’s, burning through around half a hectare of land in an incident Maryborough Fire Brigade firefighter Jason Sinclair said had the potential to be far worse.
“When we arrived on scene there were two homes under threat but fortunately they were able to be saved,” he said.
“The property owner’s caravan was damaged and will probably be written off but it was lucky we were able to get water on that and save the house which was right next to it.
“The contents of the neighbour’s shed had a lot of value in it and we were able to save that as well which is good, the fire spread right next to it.
“We had crews from FFMVic who arrived at the scene first and they were a big help.”
Mr Sinclair said the blaze was caused by a pile of ash which combusted, sparking a warning for residents to check for hot spots.
“The cause that we found was a pile of ash that could have been there for up to six months and it’s combusted,” he said.
“If people do have piles of ash, make sure you spread it out and check for any heat and wet it as a precaution.
“If there is anything still smoldering or hot in a pile of ash like that it will eventually combust given the right conditions.
“We’re lucky that with Monday’s incident the grass around the property was still green, if we had the conditions we saw on the weekend this would have been a much worse incident.”
