Police warn drivers of Grampians bushfire dangers
Police warn drivers of Grampians bushfire dangers
2 February 2006
published by www.abc.net.au
Australia — Police are warning motorists in western Victoria to be wary on bushfire-affected roads, after a tree fell on a man’s car near the Grampians.
The man was driving along the Stawell to Halls Gap road on Monday when the tree fell across his bonnet and windscreen.
He was treated for minor injuries.
The road has now been made safe and is open to the public.
Stawell Senior Sergeant John McTaggart says drivers should reduce their speed limit in the burnt areas.
“People have got to be mindful of trees that have been smouldering for a suitable period of time since the actual fires, they may lose a limb or even fall over at the base, and it’s just one of those risks we have to take into consideration when driving through the Grampians over the next number of months,” he said.
Meanwhile, GWM Water says fire damage to local water supplies is severe.
The authority has been assessing Lakes Wartook and Bellfield this week, which supply water to Horsham, Stawell and Ararat.
Spokesman Andrew Rose says it could be 12 months until GWM Water knows the full impact of the fires.
He says the authority may consider putting bunds in the reservoirs to protect the water from tree debris, cinder and ash.
“That is probably waiting to be washed into the reservoirs if we get a large sudden shower, so we’re between a rock and a hard place because in one hand the storages are dangerously low, but at the same time we want to be careful how they’re filled,” he said.
