Brigades help out fire fight

STRIKE teams of local firefighters helped battle raging bushfires that threatened the Gippsland towns of Erica and Yallourn this week.
Up to 100 firefighters from brigades around the district joined thousands of CFA personnel in the statewide push against a number of major bushfires.
Pakenham, Berwick and other towns sent tankers as well as volunteers to help the fire effort.
Local crews helped on the firefront as well as in the control room, with a number of senior officers joining the incident management team.
Pakenhambased CFA administration support officer Lisa Hicks said firefighters had been sent to the major hotspots as well as standing by in case of local blazes.
“Everybody is extremely busy,” she said.
“All brigades have been involved in sending strike teams to Erica where up to 100 CFA personnel, the majority from Cardinia region, have worked day and night shifts.”
Crews were on high alert as the temperatures soared into the 40s over the weekend.
Local crews attended callouts at Cranbourne and a couple of smaller outbreaks closer to home during the total fire ban on Sunday.
A cigarette butt tossed out of a passing car is believed to have been responsible for a small fire in the Princes Highway median strip near the intersection with McGregor Road in Pakenham.
Ms Hicks said it was expected firefighters would be involved in the Erica operation for the rest of the week.
Berwick CFA Captain Alan Boyd said the brigade had sent a tanker to Yea on Sunday to help contain the blaze that threatened the small country town.
The tanker returned to Berwick on Monday and a strike team leader from the brigade was also sent to Erica that same day to offer assistance.
He returned to Berwick on Tuesday but Captain Boyd said local brigades were still bracing themselves for Thursday’s bad weather and would be on full alert and ready to assist other brigades.