THE Country Fire Authority has urged people to respect total fire bans after backyard rubbish fires were reported in Warrnambool yesterday.
Yesterday was a total fire ban day and winds of up to 70 kilometres an hour forecast for this afternoon have prompted fire authorities to declare it a day of very high fire danger.
CFA District Five operations officer Henry Barton said a rubbish fire in the yard of a property in Tylden Street in Dennington threatened to burn a shed about 5pm yesterday.
Two fire units from the Warrnambool brigade brought it under control.
Another fire in the rear yard of a home in Jellie Court in Warrnambool was reported about 2pm yesterday and brought under control after two fire units from the Warrrnambool brigade attended.
Warrnambool police said the Jellie Court fire did not appear to have been deliberately lit.
Police said it appeared to have started from a cigarette butt dropped in the garden.
Police will not be taking action.
Meanwhile, about $10,000 damage was done to a garage in Allansford yesterday by a fire that started when the motor of an old refrigerator malfunctioned.
Mr Barton said the fire in Ziegler Parade was reported about 9.50am and took fire fighters from the Allansford and Warrnambool brigades about 15 minutes to bring the blaze under control.
Another fire broke out in an unoccupied brick house in Hamilton yesterday afternoon and police were called to investigate its cause.
Mr Barton told The Standard yesterday that the fire was reported by a passerby about 2.45pm and firefighters had it extinguished in about 20 minutes.
