Burning question arises from dry spell
The Country Fire Authority has declared the ban for the central and south-west districts of the state after a series of fires this week that were fuelled by high temperatures, strong winds and the record-breaking spell of dry weather.
It has been the driest October-to-April period in Melbourne for 118 years, with less than half the normal amount of rainfall, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Many country areas are dry and face extreme fire risk today. Temperatures are expected to exceed 25 degrees in most parts of the state, with Melbourne tipped to reach 27.
The Country Fire Authority said a total fire ban had never before been declared in May. The previous latest ban was on 4 April 1986.
The chief officer of the Country Fire Authority, Mr Trevor Roche, urged those in affected districts to check that land burnt off was extinguished and cold to touch.
The drought has kept the CFA busy, with about 30 fires burning since Sunday, covering 6000 hectares of remote land. Several fires were burning yesterday; all were under control.
Most of the fires are in remote forests and national parks. Fire authorities believe many of the fires were deliberately lit.
The chief fire officer at the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Mr Gary Morgan, warned that although fire restrictions for private land had been lifted, it was still an offence to light unauthorised fires in the bush.
``People may think that the bush needs a good burn because of the conditions but they don't seem to realise that their actions, in addition to being illegal and posing a threat to public safety and private assets, severely disrupt the department's burning program,'' he said.
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