By Cameron Weston
A LARGE grass fire swept through the open area beneath the West Gate Bridge in Spotswood last Thursday as Victoria endured some of the worst early-summer fires ever seen.
Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) spokesman Geoff Audsley said a grass fire was first reported on the north and south sides of the Stony Creek at 11.50am.
Six MFB vehicles attended the fire, gaining access to some areas through the West Gate Golf Course.
The fire burnt through four to five hectares of grassland, a large area for a metropolitan fire, and came close to petrochemical storage facilities in the area.
It caused no loss of life or damage to property.
The blaze was declared under control at 1pm, and MFB units patrolled the area overnight to ensure it was fully extinguished.
Police were also called to the area when dense smoke cut visibility on nearby Hyde St.
Mr Audsley said there was some concern that the smoke would shut down the Williamstown and Werribee train lines, but trains continued to run.
MFB mechanics were also called to the scene after radiant heat burnt through the air lines on one truck.
Mr Audsley said fire crews were stretched last week because of the bushfires, with many off-duty crews “back filling” metropolitan stations to make up the numbers.
“We don’t expect this kind of fire season to happen until January … that’s when everything usually dries out.
“But we knew this kind of summer was coming … so it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.”
