A firefighter puts out a small fire on Gateway Road yesterday.
A BURN-OFF that flared again blackened about 20 hectares of grassland on the outskirts of Hamilton yesterday.
Country Fire Authority region 5 duty officer Bruce Farquharson said the fire, south of the Hamilton racecourse near Balkins Road, flared up about 2pm.
“The fire burnt about 20 hectares after starting from a previous burn-off on private property. The burn-off was conducted in the last week or 10 days,” Mr Farquharson said.
“The strong winds have fanned the blaze. Eight Hamilton district CFA units attended and it was quickly brought under control.
“It was all on private property at Balkins Road.”
A fire in Hamilton was also sparked from a burn-off last week, raising questions about why a burn-off was held in the middle of the summer fire danger period.
Warrnambool fire brigade officers were kept busy with two call-outs yesterday afternoon.
Firefighters attended a small fire just off Gateway Road near the Dan Murphy’s outlet at 2.25pm.
Four minutes later fire brigade officers were called to a false alarm at the Warrnambool court house.
Judge Graeme Hicks had just finished a short sitting on the opening day of the County Court circuit in Warrnambool when the building was evacuated.
Fire officers searched the building to make sure there was no fire and anyone in the building was safe.
Warrnambool station officer-in-charge Henry Barton said police were investigating the cause of the small fire in the median strip of Gateway Road.