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Tatura Fire Brigade attended a fire at a Bitcon Rd property on November 14 after what started as a small burn-off, got away.

A person at the property said in an effort to clean up near the house after the sighting of several snakes in recent weeks, he decided to burn some rubbish and wood, when the fire managed to get away.

The alarm was raised shortly after 11 am and the fire was quickly brought under control with the help of a neighbour and the brigade, and was contained to a relatively small area, although, with extremely long grass in a nearby paddock, it could have been much worse.

Second fire 

Tatura Fire Brigade attended a second fire on on November 14 after the alarm was raised about 2.10 pm.

The fire burned about 1 ha of grassland on a Lilford Rd property, off Hooper Rd.

The cause of the fire is not known but firefighters believe it to be ‘‘accidental’’.

Mooroopna and Mooroopna North West also attended and the blaze was quickly brought under control.

This week is Fire Action Week, and CFA volunteers want everyone in the region to know the bushfire season is already here.

District 22 Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria president John Dunn said everyone in the district should make sure their property was prepared and every member of the family knew what to do if there was a fire in the area.

‘‘I strongly urge great caution, including having a plentiful supply of fire fighting water on hand and available, when undertaking clean-up burning work,’’ he said.

‘‘Brigades in the district are already frequently having to help landholders extinguish out of control burn-offs,’’ as was the case on Wednesday.

Mr Dunn said people needed to take time to think about other people in their community who may need help preparing or who might need assistance in the lead up to a bad day.

He said the CFA website and the Victorian Bushfire Information Line, 1800 240 667, were good sources of advice on preparation.

‘‘As the association representing CFA volunteers, Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV) can assure you that your local CFA brigade is trained and ready for summer, and the CFA volunteers want you to be ready too,’’ Mr Dunn said.