“We anticipate a severe season kicking off around Christmas,” NSW Rural Fire Commissioner Phil Koperburg said.

Mr Koperburg said recent rains had lowered the drought-affected areas of NSW from more than 60 per cent to just 25per cent, but at the same time had increased the volume of combustible material available.

On South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula the Country Fire Service is facing a volunteer shortage as locals fear civil liability suits in the aftermath of the deadly Black Tuesday bushfires in January. The fires killed nine people — including two CFS volunteers — and is the subject of a coronial inquiry in Port Lincoln, where allegations are being heard of failures within the CFS chain of command.

FIREFIGHTERS are bracing for a torrid summer amid fears record high temperatures and strong late winter rains will combine to produce a vegetation powderkeg for bushfires.

Emergency services in most states yesterday warned of a dangerous fire season because of limited opportunities in the lead-up to summer to undertake preventive burn-offs.

At the weekend, firefighters scrambled to extinguish a suspicious scrub fire on the fringes of Melbourne that threatened a number of houses.

“We anticipate a severe season kicking off around Christmas,” NSW Rural Fire Commissioner Phil Koperburg said.

Heavy rains in South Australia have triggered widespread grass growth. The grass was expected to become “100 per cent cured”, or dry into fuel, in January and February.

Victoria’s Department of Sustainability and Environment said the state was preparing for a “long and trying summer”.

A department spokesman said it had been able to treat only half the usual amount of land in its fuel-reduction program.

The NSW Rural Fire Service is predicting a serious grass fire season in the rural parts of the state as early as Christmas, while wetter conditions along thecoast have delayed the onset of the bushfire season until January.

Mr Koperburg said recent rains had lowered the drought-affected areas of NSW from more than 60 per cent to just 25per cent, but at the same time had increased the volume of combustible material available.

“On one hand the rains have delayed the fire season, particularly in forest areas. But at the same time it has given us a potentially very severe fire season in thegrass areas of NSW,” he said.

Western Australia is preparing for the worst bushfire season in years. Craig Hynes, the state’s Fire and Emergency Services Authority director of country operations, said the late start to summer meant vegetation had more time to grow, increasing the chance of the dry undergrowth fuelling a fire.

On South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula the Country Fire Service is facing a volunteer shortage as locals fear civil liability suits in the aftermath of the deadly Black Tuesday bushfires in January. The fires killed nine people — including two CFS volunteers — and is the subject of a coronial inquiry in Port Lincoln, where allegations are being heard of failures within the CFS chain of command.

Volunteers firefighters contacted by The Australian said a community backlash over the fires had seriously affected members, many of whom were considering leaving the service.