CFA mounts largest emergency stabilisation works after January bushfires
The Country Fire Authority is conducting the largest emergency stabilisation works in its history following the devastating January 2026 bushfires, with crews spread across the south-west, west, north-west and north-east of the state. The program remains a key focus of CFA's post‑fire recovery for landholders.
CFA volunteers and staff, working alongside FFMVic, VICSES, Coast Guard, FRV and contractors, have been repairing and replacing private infrastructure affected by suppression activities during the fire response — including cut fencing, damaged gates and water that was used.
Reinstating soil and stabilising control lines on private property is a priority, involving extensive use of dozers and graders to push back soil and apply erosion controls to protect land and water quality. A dedicated Incident Control Centre has been established at Seymour for the Longwood‑Berrys Lane fire.
Daniel Idczak, CFA's Vegetation Management Team Leader and Deputy Incident Controller/Stabilisation Manager for the Seymour ICC, said the blaze — the largest CFA led this season — impacted more than 1,800 properties, predominantly on private land.
"The perimeter of the fire is 540km and we have mapped around 889km of control lines," he said, adding that the footprint has been assessed aerially and crews are working across all sectors, with around 60 per cent of the control line now stabilised. CFA is working through properties on a request basis.
Some landholders are asking to keep parts of the control line in place as a permanent asset. Idczak said feedback has been positive, with some residents making permanent changes to their properties to allow easier access for emergency services in the future if required.
He said teams are moving as quickly as feasible and working closely with impacted and traumatised community members, which has involved many challenging conversations. Beyond private repairs, CFA is helping to restore community assets, including a football oval used for staging areas, cleaning halls used as community hubs and replacing water used for aviation purposes.
Emergency stabilisation works have largely been completed for the fire‑impacted areas of Natimuk, Streatham and Larralea. Works for the Mount Mercer fire are scheduled to be completed by the end of April, with Harcourt and Longwood to follow in the next couple of months.
Landholders impacted by fire can submit a form to request repairs that were a direct result of fire suppression activities. All fencing and water replacement work is reactive to requests from landholders.