Planned burns helped reduce intensity of summer fires in the Otways, inquiry finds

Government called on to act after inquiry: a decade of neglect caused bushfires

Systemic shortcomings in the state’s emergency response was a major finding of the Victorian parliament committee looking into the 2026 Victorian summer fires which tabled its report last week. Around 440,000 hectares was burned by the January fires including 120,000 hectares in the Walwa fire and more than 130,000 hectares in the Longwood fire. One person died and 451 homes were lost along with 1,110 outbuildings and 45,000 livestock deaths wer…

Planned burns helped reduce intensity of summer fires in the Otways, inquiry finds

PLANNED burning helped reduce the intensity of this summer’s Otway bushfires, a parliamentary inquiry has found, although the Greens say current fuel reduction practices still need reform. The inquiry examined Victoria’s 2026 bushfire season, including preparations ahead of summer, the causes of the fires, the emergency response, funding for fire agencies, and the impact on [...] Read More... The post Planned burns helped reduce intensity of sum…