Homes were threatened near Pomborneit as a spate of fires broke out across the south-west yesterday.
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The blazes are believed to have been caused by burn-offs that reignited in the afternoon’s windy, hot weather.
One of the biggest fires was near the Princes Highway at Pomborneit, which burnt about 10 hectares and threatened houses.
About 10 CFA units battled the blaze in a rocky area near Hawks Nest Road and saved the houses.
Acting Senior Sergeant Sally Slingsby, of Camperdown police, said the fire started from a previous burn-off.
CFA volunteers were patrolling the area last night to extinguish any flare ups.
Yesterday’s fires also included a blaze in a haystack at Woolsthorpe that eight tanker crews fought to control for two hours yesterday evening.
Five tankers were also called to extinguish a fire in bushland at Nirranda yesterday evening.
Most of the outbreaks were grass and scrub fires of one hectare or less and were brought under control quickly. They included fires at Wangoom, Toolong, Noorat, Mumbannar, Cororooke, Irrewillipe and Birregurra.
CFA district five operations officer Henry Barton said most of the fires were believed to be burn-offs that had reignited.
He said there had been a burn the day before in the area at Toolong where yesterday’s fire broke out.
CFA district six operations officer Michael Crutchfield said the fires at Noorat, Irrewillipe and Birregurra were all escaped burn-offs. The Grampians region was also a hotspot yesterday with a seven-hectare fire at Victoria Point, 17 kilometres north-east of Cavendish.
Mr Barton said property owners needed to monitor any burn-offs for some time after.
“During a spate of hot weather they should check the area again. The fire can be deep-seated and can take a lot of time to get out.
“Sometimes it can burn in roots in the ground for months afterwards,” Mr Barton said.
The south-west fires were among about 40 that broke out across the state in yesterday’s volatile conditions.