OCTOBER 13, 2015 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
Burn-off fury ignited By Matt Crossman
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Prue Mathisen watches as crews fight to save her rented home, near Three Chain road Lancefield. (Justin McManus / The Age Age)
‘‘If I had lit that fire, I’d go to jail, but you will all get away with it,’’ one man shouted at DELWP chief fire officer Allan Goodwin. The department has copped extreme criticism after it was revealed firefighters who were meant to be on standby for the planned burn may have been deployed elsewhere. Landholders in the area have also claimed that trucks left near the site along Lancefield-Cobaw Crozier Track were not
staffed on the grand final public holiday. But Mr Goodwin said extensive work had gone into planning the burn, and he denied the fire had been unattended at any stage. Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas said it was ‘‘unacceptable that locals have been put in this position’’. She welcomed the appointment of Lancefield Neighbourhood House co-ordinator Vivien Philpotts as a member of the government’s independent investigation
panel, as Ms Philpotts urged people to make their voices heard, and tell their stories. Premier Daniel Andrews and Opposition Leader Matthew Guy, who both visited the town on Thursday, said people had every right to be angry. Information about accessing compensation, replacing water, or livestock and material needs is available through Macedon Ranges council. Details: 5422 0333
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All prescribed burns scheduled for the Macedon Ranges this spring will be reviewed after a 3000-hectare blaze near Lancefield put hundreds of houses in the firing line. The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) made the promise on Friday in response to community outrage over the planned burn in the Cobaw Ranges, which jumped containment lines on grand final day, and again last Tuesday. As reported by Star Weekly online, furious residents have called for ‘‘heads to roll’’ at DELWP. On Friday, Lancefield agronomist James Almond was one of many people who demanded to know why department secretary Adam Fennessy and Environment Minister Lisa Neville had yet to front a public meeting and apologise. ‘‘If I don’t liaise with my clients, I get sacked,’’ he said. Criticising the department’s communication process before the September 30 burn, Mr Almond also slammed DELWP for previously saying conditions were suitable. ‘‘It wasn’t appropriate to light a fire in El Nino conditions,’’ he said. ‘‘All my clients are cutting crops because they’ve got no soil moisture, and then the department lights a fire? We’ve known about this for six months.’’ A DELWP spokesman said Mr Fennessy and Ms Neville were expected to appear in Lancefield on Monday. The state government has commissioned a full investigation into the escaped burn, which has destroyed at least four houses. However, many people fear that while the probe will be critical of prescribed burning practices, nobody will truly be held to account. Feeneys Lane resident Chris Jolly said somebody had to take responsibility. ‘‘If it was me and somebody said ‘in four days’ time you’re going to get 30-degree days and strong winds’, I would say don’t light it. It’s just so stupid.’’ Properties from the edge of Lancefield through to Benloch, Pastoria East, Pastoria, Nulla Vale, Baynton and Emu Flat have been threatened by the blaze. Many thousands of litres of already scarce water has also been drained from dams. As the fire raged, community meetings held in Lancefield heard from countless residents – some yelling, others in tears, and all angry that the community was in the path of a blaze that should never have happened.
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