Almost three-quarters of the 350ha park will be burnt during the next two days as part of the Victorian Government’s fire preparation efforts.

“I think there is a lot of increased awareness of the risk after last year,” Parks Victoria fire and environment program officer Aaron Kennedy said.

“Given that the gorge is to the north of Beechworth and most of our fires come from the north, north-west area, it’s about recognising there is a risk to the north of Beechworth and we have to do something about it.”

Department of Sustainability and Environment staff, along with crews from Beechworth, Wodonga, Mount Beauty, Bright and Ovens are assisting with the burn.

“It’s a complex burn given the proximity of houses and Beechworth, so from that perspective it’s a bit of a challenge. We just have to take it slowly,” Mr Kennedy said.

Weather conditions were ideal yesterday, with a low to medium amount of fuel.

“There are always risks associated with any burn we undertake, even when the weather conditions might be considered suitable doesn’t mean you’re not going to have problems, it’s just a matter of keeping an eye on what we’re doing and adjusting our lighting pattern accordingly.”

Mr Kennedy said crews would monitor the burn overnight.

“We’re not planning at this stage to have crews sitting on this fire all night, but we’ll just see if we do need them, if it starts lighting up and we’ve got trees coming down we’ll put them in place.”

Golden Heritage Motel owner Bill Bell said the burns were “something that needed to be done, they have got to be proactive”.

North East residents can expect smoke for the next two weeks as burns continue at Wangaratta, Yackandandah and Eldorado.

“Certainly at least over the weekend and next week, this is the start of our program really,” Mr Kennedy said.