Country Fire Authority District 16 operations manager Bernie Fradd said careless behavior with fire could still attract criminal and civil penalties.

“On the first of May the fire danger period in the three municipalities we look after, that’s Pyrenees Shire, Northern Grampians Shire and Ararat Rural City, the fire danger period finishes,” he said.

“That means that under the Country Fire Authority Act, people are allowed to light fires, but even though there is a bit of green around there’s still a lot of dry fuel.

“The danger, if people don’t take care and follow some basic rules and guidelines, is still there.”

Mr Fradd said people were still subject to laws around fires even after the fire danger period.

“If you’re lighting a fire, under the Summary Offences Act, you are still required to have a three-metre break around the fire and you’re not allowed to leave a fire unattended.

“Obviously, there are civil penalties; if you light a fire and it gets away and burns out a neighbour or damages neighboring properties, then you could be personally liable for those costs, as well as the costs incurred by the fire brigade in putting that fire out.

“While the Country Fire Authority Act effectively slows down outside the fire danger period, there are other acts such as the Summary Offences Act and the Crimes Act, which certainly carry on throughout the whole year.”

Mr Fradd said campers also needed to take care with fires after incidents at Lake Fyans and Lake Lonsdale.

“One of the major problems we have with campfires is that people let them go out, and they look as though they have gone out but often there’s coals still burning or a stump or a log that they’ve used that can smolder for days,” he said.

“By all means enjoy campfires safely and responsibly but when you leave, make sure you wet it down totally and pull apart the fire so it doesn’t spark up.”