How planned burning protected Kamarooka's history and biodiversity

On 6 February 2026, as northern Victoria faced high fire danger, a fire at Kamarooka threatened to become a significant landscape event. However, the outcome was far different from what the conditions suggested.

While a simulation showed the fire could have swept through 1,760 hectares of private and public land, it was stopped at just eight hectares. The difference was a strategic fuel reduction planned burn conducted just 2 years prior.

A fire contained under severe conditions

The Kamarooka – Campbells Rd fire started at 3:00 PM on a day when temperatures hit 34°C with humidity dropping to 12%. With high fire danger and westerly winds, the potential for a fast-moving blaze was high.

The fire ignited in an area that had been previously treated in 2024 as part of a fuel reduction planned burn. As the fire moved through this landscape, its behaviour remained manageable, with intensities comparable to those expected under planned burning conditions. This allowed firefighters to successfully contain the fire to just 8 hectares, a result that aligns almost perfectly with Phoenix Rapidfire reconstructions of the treated area.

The strategy that made the difference

The success at Kamarooka was due to recent, targeted fuel management. By reducing the dry material in the heathy, shrubby Mallee, the 2024 burn meant that flame heights remained within a range where suppression was possible.

At the Kamarooka fire, maximum flame heights reached approximately 4 metres. Modelling shows that without the previous burn, those flames would likely have reached 21 metres. This reduction in intensity provided the critical window firefighters needed to stop the fire before it could escalate into an unstoppable front.

A tale of two fires

To demonstrate the risk averted, the fire was reconstructed using the Phoenix Rapidfire modelling system to simulate what would have happened without the 2024 fuel reduction. The orange lines show the path of the fire, and the red dots show how far hot embers could be thrown. In the right weather and fuel conditions, these embers could start new fires.

The data highlights a stark contrast in fire behaviour:

• Flame heights: 4 metres with the burn vs. 21 metres without.
• Suppression: With the burn, crews successfully contained the fire. Without it, the 21m flame heights would likely have resulted in failed suppression attempts.
• Spotting: After just 2 hours, the fire with the burn history was only 3.79 hectares with spotting just over 300 m ahead. Without the burn, the fire would have reached 196 hectares in the same time, with spotting sustained at least 2 km ahead of the fire front.

What worked – and why it matters

The Kamarooka fire shows how planned burning makes a real difference during dangerous fire conditions. It helps by:

• reducing flame heights so firefighters can attack the fire directly and safely
• slowing the fire’s growth, keeping the footprint small enough for rapid containment
• limiting spotting distances, preventing embers from starting new fires kilometres away.

Protecting more than just the trees

The impact of a larger fire would have extended far beyond the forest edge. While modelling suggests no homes would have been lost, the economic and cultural toll would have been immense.

A 1,760-hectare fire would have impacted 325 hectares of private land, including a piggery and mixed farming and grazing land. The analysis also identified that seven apiary sites and two historic sites — the Ruedins Eucalyptus Distillery and the Kamarooka Charcoal Kilns — could have been severely impacted or destroyed.

Environmental protection was also a major victory. The small fire size protected 196 hectares of the vulnerable Grassy Woodland and preserved critical habitat for over 20 plant and animal species listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.