Farmer News
1 February, 2026
Fire threat continues
CATASTROPHIC days across the state late in January have kept fire crews and hundreds more personnel busy this summer, with fears of more to come.
According to chief fire officer with Forest Fire Management Victoria, Chris Hardman, more than 400,000 hectares of public and private land was burned since the first of the major fires (Walwa) took hold in north-east Victoria on January 5.
“Since the outbreak on January 5 it has been non-stop ever since,” Mr Hardman said.
“Our aviation fleet has dropped more than 18 million litres of water and retardant to try to contain and control fires across the state, and still they burn.
“Hundreds of firefighters have spent thousands of hours away from their home and families, some have lost homes themselves, and still the fires burn.”
Mr Hardman expressed his “heartfelt thanks” to communities, firefighters, incident managers, support staff, and all of Victoria, for their service, patience and strength.
“I know that many heartbreaking choices are made in these circumstances. It takes real courage to leave early, even if you have a bushfire plan,” he said.
“I particularly want to acknowledge Victoria’s farmers and primary producers through this time and the sudden and extreme loss many will be experiencing, particularly following so many months of drought.”
He believes the first weeks of January 2026 will long be remembered for these fires and the conditions that spurred them.
This included multiple and concurrent days of 40 plus degree temperatures, single digit humidity, gusting winds of up to 100km per hour and the continuing dry weather that began more than 18 months ago.
“As much as we could be with those conditions, we were ready. Forest Fire Management Victoria works year-round (and years in advance) to ensure we are well positioned to protect communities, assets and the environment from the threat of bushfire.
“We have more than 1800 personnel on the frontline, including year-round and seasonal firefighters, fire lookout observers and support officers, together with hundreds of emergency and incident management staff and firefighting equipment.”
This equipment includes ultralight and heavy tankers, and more than 1000 additional plant and trucks, including dozers, tractors, graders, loaders, forklifts and excavators
The state’s aerial firefighting fleet, comprising a mix of firebombing aircraft, air supervision and information-gathering aircraft, is also at the ready.
“Our program of bushfire risk reduction includes planned burns, mowing, mulching, slashing and spraying.”
This fuel management helps to reduce the amount of vegetation available to ‘fuel’ a fire, thereby reducing the likely speed or intensity of a bushfire.
Mr Hardman encouraged everyone to also play their part to help reduce the risk from bushfire.
“We encourage everyone to visit the CFA website and start a bushfire plan so you know what to do in case of fire,” he said.
“Download and get to know the VicEmergency app and set up watch zones in your area and turn on notifications to keep you up to date.”
He also recommended getting to now the Australian Fire Danger Ratings System and work out what fire danger rating would trigger your bushfire plan.