Don't let your campfire ruin everyone's Grand Final

The Conservation Regulator Victoria, CFA, Parks Victoria, and Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) are reminding campers about the importance of knowing the rules around campfire safety to protect fellow footy fans and the environment from the dangers of an escaped campfire.

We want people to get out and enjoy Victoria’s great outdoors, but unsafe campfires can have devastating consequences. It only takes one camper ignoring the rules to endanger the community and our environment.

Many people try to put out campfires incorrectly with soil, or not enough water to extinguish them completely. Fires that haven’t been properly extinguished can smoulder under soil for days and reignite in the right conditions.

If you are building a campfire, make sure you know how to build a safe one, don’t leave it unattended while it is alight, put it out with water, not soil, and remember – if you light, you own it.

Anyone planning to have a campfire must check the weather conditions before they go camping. They need to know if a Total Fire Ban is in place and what they can and can’t do wherever they are going.

To ensure campfires are safe:

• Before you light a fire always check fire restrictions, including whether a Total Fire Ban is in place. Download the VicEmergency app or visit Emergency Management Victoria.
• Plan ahead and consider alternatives for cooking such as a portable butane cooktop.
• Always follow the designated rules of your campsite. In national parks, fires can only be lit in purpose-built fireplaces unless marked otherwise.
• The campfire must not exceed one square metre, and 3 metres above and around your fire must be clear of flammable material.
• Branches and logs on your campfire must be no longer than one metre.
• Don’t leave a campfire unattended. An adult must stay within a 50-metre line of sight.
• Extinguish a campfire with at least 10 litres of water every time you leave the site.
• All rubbish must be taken home with you, not burned.

Authorised officers will be visiting campsites throughout Victoria’s parks and forests making sure everyone is following the rules so we can all have a safe and enjoyable long weekend.

Report unattended campfires to DEECA at 136 186 or call 000 to report a bushfire.

For more on campfire rules go to: Campfires, stoves and BBQs.