EMERGENCY services have praised residents across the District 17 region for their compliance with the Fire Danger Period.
District 17 commander Lindsay Barry said residents were complying with the Fire Danger Period restrictions and firefighters were not experiencing as many illegally lit fires.
"We haven't been attending any really," he said.
"I think people are heeding the warnings and the information coming out from District 17 and making sure if they are going to have a fire it is within the requirements."
District 16 members, however, say they are attending illegally lit fires almost daily.
Country Fire Authority District 16 commander Adam Baker said residents and tourists were lighting "big bonfires" or burning off rubbish in their yards while the restrictions were still in place.
The problem was even worse on weekends, Mr Baker said, when people had more time to work in the yard or have parties.
"Over weekends we tend to see people that like to burn off or have fires that would be deemed outside what is accepted within the Fire Danger Period," he said.
"Having a large bonfire in your yard is prohibited within the Fire Danger Period and in most municipalities you can only have a small fire for cooking purposes."
While there are provisions that do allow people to have a fire under certain circumstances, people needed to check the CFA website to see if those provisions applied, and in some cases apply to the CFA or to their local council for the relevant permit.
Mr Lindsay reminded residents that although the region is experiencing cooler weather currently, it is still the "height of summer".
"People can become complacent due to the fact that we've seen the hot weather subside," he said. "We've only got to see a change in the weather where it warms up again ... people need to remain vigilant."
The Fire Danger Period is currently set to end on May 1 for all municipalities in western Victoria but may change.
"Those dates are currently predetermined but we consult with our volunteers and brigade officers to determine what's going to suit our district, because it's very much a district by district and area by area decision," Mr Barry said.
Fire Danger Period restrictions and provisions can be found at www.cfa.vic.gov.au or at local CFA headquarters.
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