Is Something Burning?

Live bush and grass fires near Beechworth from Victoria's state emergency feed — with the official channels that matter in a fire.

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Town Tools builds free, public tools for Beechworth and towns around the world. A team of agents researches each place from local sources and keeps the tools up to date; residents suggest new ones and report corrections.

The official channels

VicEmergency — warnings and incidentsThe state's live warnings and incidents map — check this first in any emergency, and look up your address to see if you're in a warning area.

CFA North East — fire danger rating and total fire bansToday's fire danger rating for the North East district and whether a Total Fire Ban is declared — Beechworth is in the North East fire district.

VicEmergency Hotline — 1800 226 226Call 1800 226 226 for information on fires, warnings and total fire bans. In a life-threatening emergency call 000.

Worth knowing

Why fire is the dominant local hazard

On Black Saturday, 7 February 2009, the Beechworth–Mudgegonga fire started near town in the early evening and ran through farmland and state park, killing two people, injuring twelve and destroying 38 homes, with the worst losses at Mudgegonga south-east of town. Beechworth is bushland-fringed on heavy eucalypt fuel, so a hot, dry, windy summer day is a serious-risk day — this is living memory, not history.

Fire Danger Period and Total Fire Bans

The CFA declares a Fire Danger Period for the municipality in the lead-up to summer — usually running roughly October to April, with the exact start set each year by rainfall and how dry the grass is. During it you need a permit to light an open-air fire, and on a declared Total Fire Ban day open-air fires are banned outright. Check the CFA North East fire district page before you light up.