A Shepparton man who appeared at Mansfield Magistrates' Court has been convicted and fined $5000 after lighting a campfire during a statewide total fire ban at a Mansfield Shire campground on Boxing Day last year. The 41-year-old was sentenced last month in relation to the offence after failing to appear for the scheduled court hearing. Conservation Regulator and Forest Fire Management Victoria authorised officers discovered the campfire at the Blue Gum Flat campground in the Delatite Arm Reserve while on patrol during dangerous fire conditions on December 26, 2024. The man was present at the campground and acknowledged he knew campfires were prohibited that day. After admitting to lighting the fire, he was verbally abusive towards the investigating authorised officer. In sentencing, the magistrate remarked on the man's "blatant disregard" for the total fire ban and the seriousness of potential consequences, particularly given the local community's experience with bushfires. While satisfied the fire was not lit with intent to cause deliberate harm, the magistrate described the man's attitude towards fire restrictions as "appalling". Hume Manager of Regulatory Operations Greg Chant said total fire bans existed to protect lives and landscapes. "An escaped campfire on a day of total fire ban can have devastating consequences, and that's why campers must comply with the restrictions," he said. "This court outcome sends a clear message that breaches of total fire bans will be taken seriously, with offenders prosecuted and held to account." Under total fire ban conditions, lighting fires in the open air is illegal and puts lives, property and the environment at serious risk. The Conservation Regulator conducts targeted compliance patrols across summer in collaboration with land and fire agencies, and will pursue prosecution where serious or deliberate breaches are identified.
