In the early hours of Monday, 26 May, Upper Beaconsfield Fire Brigade, alongside several neighbouring brigades, responded to a fast-moving grass and scrub fire near the Elephant Rock car park, adjacent to Cardinia Reservoir in Dewhurst.
The call came through just after 3.15am, with Upper Beaconsfield Fire Brigade – CFA first on the scene, what they found on arrival was a significant fire, fuelled by strong winds and dry conditions.
“We were confronted with a large grassland fire,” Upper Beaconsfield Fire Brigade, captain, Ian Pinney said.
“We escalated it quickly and called in 10 additional tankers to help manage the conditions.”
Crews from across the region answered the call, including support from brigades in Beaconsfield, Clematis, Cockatoo, Emerald, Menzies Creek, Narre Warren East, Officer, Pakenham Upper, and Toomuc, alongside Victoria Police.
Mr Pinney said while there were concerns about the fire’s proximity to the reservoir, the wind was fortunately blowing in the opposite direction.
“It was heading away from the Cardinia Reservoir, towards Bessie Creek Road, and running uphill, which made it pick up speed and intensity,” he said.
“Our job was to pour water directly onto the fire, and with no mains water in that area, we had to set up a water relay system.”
That system was supported by Upper Beaconsfield’s Big Fill appliance, which helped supply 36,000 litres of water across 12 appliances by the time the fire was under control.
Crews worked in steep and challenging terrain for over two hours, eventually returning to their stations around 6am.
Despite the early hour and tough conditions, fortunately there were no injuries and no properties were at risk.
Still, the fire served as a stark reminder of the dry landscape that continues to pose a risk across the region.
“There’s been very little rain this year, a real rainfall deficit,” Mr Pinney.
“People need to be really careful when burning off. Make sure there’s enough water on hand to extinguish anything that could get out of control.”
The biggest challenge on the ground, he said, was the wind.
“It was quite blustery and that spread the fire quickly, getting water onto it fast enough was the key to stopping it from spreading further,” he said.
While the cause of the fire is under investigation by police and fire investigators, one thing is clear, the coordinated effort from local CFA brigades made a difference.
