DSE chief fire officer Ewan Waller told the
Telegraph the report was part of a regular series on weather predictions for the next fire season. He said the dry forecast could well be accurate, unless above-average rainfall soaks Victoria in coming months.
"The recent rains have been great but they're coming on top of the deep underlying dryness. This is quite similar to the messages we've had for the past five years. Since we've been having low rainfall, we've been vulnerable to large fire events for a number of years. We are now looking even closer at the El Nino effect, which could add a further drying effect."
Mr Waller urged people to start preparing their homes for the fire season in a "focused, objective and purposeful way".
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