Australia prepares for worst fire season ever
By Mex Cooper The CFA chief heavily criticised for his handling of Black Saturday will be responsible for keeping Victoria safe as it faces its worst-ever fire season, Premier John Brumby has said. Mr Brumby warned Victorians that 13 years of drought will make the coming fire season, less than 10 weeks away, potentially more dangerous than 2008-09 during which 173 people died. “On all of the latest information and evidence we’ve got, the forthcoming fire season is going to be worse than the one we’ve just experienced and that’s because of 13 years of dry conditions,” he told Radio 3AW. … In the lead-up to the summer, Mr Brumby said there would be more controlled burns and roadside burning for firebreaks. “The amount of fuel reduction burning that we did in the last year has been more than any time in the last 15 years,” he said. …
