Officer residents met with local politicians on Friday to discuss concerns about this
By Jade Lawton
A CIGARETTE butt thrown from a car window near an unkempt bush block could spark disaster for Officer, residents fear.
Several Station Street residents believe that a 20-acre block of trees, scrub and blackberries, directly opposite Officer Train Station, could burn out of control if ignited.
They say the land is a fire hazard, and CFA crews are blocked from entering the site by a padlocked gate and fallen tree.
Owned by VicUrban, the property has also become an unofficial dumping ground, home to a lounge chair, two truck tyres and bags of residential rubbish.
Barry Thompson, who lives nearby the site, said he had kept a watchful eye over the land for years.
“It’s a fire hazard. It hasn’t been touched for four years, since VicUrban has owned it. We just want to live safely; we don’t want to become a statistic,” he said.
“We are living in one of the driest countries in the world, and I know you’ve got to expect the odd fire. There’s always going to be a risk, but we have to manage that risk,” Harry Whelan said.
Andrew McNabb was prepared to evacuate on Black Saturday, fearful that embers could spark a blaze on the site.
“We were concerned, like everybody, watching for smoke and embers flying over,” he said.
MP Jason Wood said that recent fires should serve as a wake-up call.
“With what we’ve seen recently, fire management needs to be urgently re-assessed. What I’m concerned with is the log blocking the gate – the CFA shouldn’t have to stop to remove that,” he said.
Cardinia Shire mayor Bill Pearson said that while a resident owning the block could be told to clear it, council had no such powers over VicUrban.
He said the long grass and scrub was a concern.
“It’s not trees that are the problem; it’s the understorey that holds the heat. The people out there fighting the fires are not being talked to and listened to,” he said.
MP Edward O’Donohue had similar fears.
“If this land was being maintained as an environmental habitat, as has been claimed, VicUrban wouldn’t be letting all these noxious weeds grow,” he said.
Officer CFA captain Gary Barnes said he had tried to contact VicUrban about the property. “I’ve had some concerns about the property. The gate is a concern,” he said.
“There is a reasonable amount of fuel on the ground and we’ve been trying to formulise a plan with VicUrban on how to manage that block.”
VicUrban communications director Andrew Birks said the boundaries of the site were slashed on the advice of the Cardinia Shire’s fire prevention officer.
