The Green Triangle’s fire cameras have again proven critical in protecting communities, plantations and landscapes, delivering rapid identification of unplanned fires and enabling swift suppression during a season marked by elevated fire risk.
Despite a dry, fuel-laden summer following green drought conditions, the Green Triangle Fire Alliance (GTFA)-managed camera network detected 15 unplanned fires across the south-west of Victoria during the 2025/26 fire season. All were contained quickly, with early detection allowing firefighting resources to be deployed before fires could escalate.
Most detections occurred on agricultural land (11), with two identified along roadsides and two in native vegetation, highlighting the cameras’ ability to monitor a broad and varied landscape in real time.
GTFA General Manager Anthony Walsh said the network’s effectiveness relied on its ability to provide immediate, reliable intelligence to fire agencies and forest fire management teams.
“The seven strategically located camera sites give us instant 360-degree visibility across the south-west landscape, often detecting smoke before a fire is reported from the ground,” Mr Walsh said.
“That time advantage is critical, it allows crews to be dispatched earlier, when fires are smaller, easier to control, and far less likely to threaten plantations or communities.”
GTFA Chair Andrew Matheson said the Dergholm fire, near Sandy Gate Track, in early February demonstrated the cameras’ operational value on a high fire risk day,
“The Dergholm camera site provided the first point of detection, triggering immediate deployment to a fire burning close to both softwood and hardwood plantations,” Mr Matheson said.
“Without that early detection, the outcome on a day like that could have been very different.”
Victorian Forest Products Association CEO Andrew White said the cameras were a cornerstone of the region’s fire management approach, which includes sharing surveillance data with the CFA and Forest Fire Management Victoria, complementing traditional fire tower operators.
“Early detection is one of the most important factors in keeping fires small, and the camera network gives the Green Triangle a decisive advantage,” Mr White said. “It allows crews to respond immediately, with accurate location and situational awareness, rather than losing valuable time confirming reports from the ground. It ensures the right appliances can be deployed rapidly.”
While Victoria recorded 46 unplanned fires during the 2024/25 season, largely due to widespread lightning events, 40 were recorded in 2023/24, both largely on public land. These detections were reported up to six minutes before other sources.
Mr White said whilst hundreds of alerts were received each season, the accuracy of detections continued to improve as the AI became more sophisticated from learnt surveillance data.
“These results show what’s possible when you invest in technology that works,” Mr White said. “The cameras don’t replace people, they empower them, and that’s what has kept fires small and impacts low in the Green Triangle.”
The GTFA Victorian fire camera network includes cameras at Dergholm, Lake Mundi, Digby, Dartmoor, Rennick, Nelson, and Hicks Hill near Macarthur.
The network also extends cross the border in South Australia with cameras that were co funded between the GTFA and SA Government located at Mt Benson, Elad Road, The Bluff at Tantanoola, Furner, Mt Burr and Carpenters Rocks.
To learn more of the Green Triangle Fire Alliance, visit gtfih.com.au/gtfa.
