IMPORTANT NOTICE: Total Fire Ban and Harvest and Vehicle Movement Ban for Thursday 1 February 2024

A Total Fire Ban and a Harvest and Vehicle Movement Ban (HVMB) have been declared for the Shire of Augusta Margaret River for Thursday 1 February 2024.

This is due to the forecast for hot and windy weather and the projection of Extreme Fire Danger Rating.

The HVMB will run from 11am to 4pm but will be reviewed throughout the day.

The following activities are NOT allowed during a Total Fire Ban (TFB):

• Open fires for cooking, camping or outdoor entertainment, including fire-pits and bonfires
• Any ‘hot works’ (e.g. welding, grinding, cutting, heating, etc.) in the ‘open air’
• Off-road activity using a four-wheel drive, quad bike, motorcycle, bobcat or similar vehicle
• Operation of off-road recreational vehicles (exceptions listed below)
• Use or operation of any engine, vehicle, plant equipment or machinery in the area likely to cause a bush fire or contribute to the spread of a bushfire

The following activities are NOT allowed during a Harvest and Vehicle Movement Ban (HVMB): 

• Agricultural and Forestry Harvesting operations

The following activities ARE allowed during the TFB and HVMB:

• Movement of vehicles on any public road 
• Movement of vehicles on a lane, driveway, yard, or other area that provides access to, or a parking facility at, any residential, farming or business premises, if the area has been sufficiently cleared of inflammable material to prevent the escape of fire.
• Use or operation of a vehicle if it is for the prevention of an immediate and serious risk to the health or safety of a person or livestock, and only if all reasonable precautions have been taken to prevent the activity from creating a bush fire danger.

For further information about activities that can or cannot be carried out during a Total Fire Ban and Harvest and Vehicle Movement Ban visit dfes.wa.gov.au/totalfirebans or call the Total Fire Ban Information Line on 1800 709 355.

You could be fined up to $25,000 or jailed for 12 months or both if you breach a Total Fire Ban.