A FIRE that started at a Clarkefield property yesterday, Wednesday, drew more than 20 Country Fire Authority, CFA, trucks as crews battled for hours to contain it.
Firefighting aircraft were called in to support the mass of trucks after volunteers initially struggled to control the grass fire, which was first reported at 11.15am.
Rostered duty commander Paul Turner said the fire was eventually contained but took hours to get under control.
He said the fire, heading in a northerly direction towards Bolinda, was about 40 hectares in size.
“It’s not burning fast, it’s just in difficult terrain,” he said on Wednesday afternoon.
“We’ve had some assets damaged including a hay shed and some other smaller sheds. There’s lots of fencing damage along the Lancefield Road.”
CFA brigades from the immediate area attended, as well as three strike teams from districts two, 12, and 13.
The CFA issued a Watch and Act notice to residents of Bolinda, Clarkefield, Riddells Creek and Sunbury, which was later downgraded to an advice message.
The Melbourne-Lancefield Road was reopened at about 5.30pm on Wednesday.
Mr Turner said the cause of the fire was yet to be determined, but firefighters believed it may have been from a car that had broken down on the side of the road.
