Wendy Miller was driving along the Glenelg Highway on Monday night near Scarsdale when she said she found herself dangerously close to a burn off that had been started by the DSE. She said trees less than a metre away from the road were on fire at 7pm, posing a dangerous hazard to motorists.

Ms Miller said the fire appeared to be unattended, although the DSE said fire crews were monitoring the fires around the clock.

“It was pretty scary driving through so I just put the foot down and tried to get out of there as fast as I could,” she said.

A DSE spokesperson said although burns had been continuing overnight, they were constantly monitored.

The DSE has been conducting large-scale burn offs in more than 10 locations surrounding Ballarat. It plans to continue burning off for the rest of the week to take advantage of still weather conditions.

“A number of the larger burns are more complex and may take several days to complete and have traffic management in place on nearby roads,” said DSE acting Midlands district manager Steve Nicholson.

For information about planned burning visit www.dse.vic.gov.au/burns or freecall 1800 240 667.