A LATE harvest season will coincide with the peak fire danger period, with the Country Fire Authority asking people to be responsible and drop tools during risky hot and dry times.
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The Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC report said grass curing and the associated fire risks were likely to occur later than usual this year.
The authority said crop harvesting would occur in line with severe fire danger periods.
Country Fire Authority District 17 operations manager Dale Russell said before summer officially even started, crews had attended Wimmera crop fires.
“It varies, some years we have quite a number and others not many at all,” he said.
“One thing we’re finding this year is lentil crops appear to be more prone to dust and disease.
“We’ve had a couple of fires start during lentil harvest in the last week or so.
“There are a number of reasons harvest-related fires start, it could be a bearing on a machine overheating and come out of its house, that’s hot metal dropping on crops, or it could be a build up of dust in the motor of a machine.
“They operate at a high temperature and that dust can ignite.”
Mr Russell said harvesting and hot weather were part and parcel of summer.
“Harvest and summer come hand in hand,” he said.
“What that means is we have much more activity in paddocks, with harvest equipment and machinery.
“There’s an increased fire risk because of increased activity.”
Mr Russell said most farmers were responsible and knew to stop work during peak danger periods, despite there being no mandate.
“We encourage people to make sure they have fire-fighting equipment where they are working and make sure all equipment is up to scratch and maintained,” he said.
“The Victorian Farmer’s Federation has released guidelines about harvesting on days of elevated fire danger and we ask farmers and contractors to follow and know those.
“If it’s hot and windy and conductive to fire spreading, please reconsider doing work and stop a little during the heat of the day – once the weather has cooled off and the wind drops then resume.
“It’s just two, three, or four hours until the danger period has passed.”
Mr Russell said people needed to be attuned to the weather and listen to warnings.
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
