January 15th, 2024Lightning strike causes fire: CFA

Lightning strike has been blamed for a grassfire in Alexandra earlier this month.

Working alongside Forest Fire Management Victoria, multiple CFA crews from the area helped to battle the blaze which broke out on January 3.

They included Alexandra Fire Brigade, Acheron CFA, Eildon CFA, Taggerty Fire Brigade, Koriella Fire Brigade, Yarck CFA and Thornton CFA and they worked through the afternoon to stop the spread of the fire.

Crews had support from above with water bombing aircraft and support on the ground with a bulldozer and crews from Forest Fire Management Victoria.

Incident Controller, Chris Lynch said battling the fire was made more difficult as it didn’t have a fire front as it was spreading in all directions.

“The difficult terrain along with the fire burning in thick scrub near assets and properties also added to the difficulty in containing the fire.”

The fire was contained within three hours and the nearby assets were saved.

With the ever-changing weather patterns of recent days, property owners in bushfire risk areas are urged to ensure their property is fire ready, including easy access for emergency crews if required.