By Lexi Cottee
Whittlesea council’s Australia Day fireworks display sparked a fast-moving grassfire last Monday night.
The crescendo to the day’s celebrations kicked off about 9pm. The first three fireworks sparked a small blaze in the grass. It quickly spread to burn about one hectare.
A spokeswoman from the Country Fire Authority said crews were already on standby and were able to quickly extinguish the fire.
“The CFA was there as a precaution in case a fire were to break out,” she said.
“The fire was brought under control within 10 minutes.”
In line with safety procedures, the council promptly cancelled any further fireworks.
South Morang fire brigade captain Lindsay McHugh said six fire trucks had been stationed outside the exclusion zone in case an emergency unfolded. “There were no short cuts in the preparation for the display,” he said.
“The pyrotechnicians were issued all the permits, which come with stringent requirements.
“It [the fire] probably looked more spectacular than it was; there was no real threat to anyone.”
An estimated 2000 spectators had turned up.
