Protecting Port Lincoln from bushfire
A prescribed burn on private land in Port Lincoln, in the Proper Bay area was carried out to improve the safety of nearby homes and residents in the event of a bushfire.
The aim of the 25-hectare burn was to lower fuel loads for several years to come, in some of the thickest mallee scrub in Port Lincoln. Burning scrub next to homes protects assets and people, and provides firefighters with a safer area to work from in the event of a bushfire.
Before the burn
A significant amount of planning and weather forecasting goes into every burn to ensure that conditions are right, and enough crews and trucks are organised before a fire is lit. Staff need to wait for a particular combination of temperature, fuel dryness, wind direction and speed and relative humidity to ensure it will burn as planned.
Although prescribed burns are less intense and slower moving than most bushfires, the Proper Bay burn still required very specific wind conditions to be carried out safely. Edge burning around part of the perimeter was put in ahead of time to make the main operation safer.
On the day of the burn
An easterly wind (1 and 2) followed by a southerly wind change (3 and 4) allowed the burn to be pushed in the right directions.
Although a large plume of smoke may look scary and out of control, this is normal for burns in mallee vegetation. Getting fire to carry in this type of vegetation requires a degree of intensity, which will produce a lot of smoke.
A helicopter was used to help manage any potential spot fires as well as provided information from the air during the burn.
