Powercor has pleaded guilty to more than 100 charges for failing to manage risks and hazards to its electricity network, and a further charge for its role in a bushfire in Glenmore, west of Melbourne, in February 2023.
Shepparton Magistrates Court heard victim impact statements from farmers, volunteer firefighters and Glenmore residents.
"I've been a member of the Country Fire Authority for over 17 years and the day of the 17th of February 2023 is one, if not the most, confronting day of my Country Fire Authority history," the statement by an unnamed CFA captain read.
The captain wrote the only reason no houses were lost that day was planning, preparation and the proactive assembly of firefighters at the station before any fire was reported.
"If it wasn't for the commitment of hard work during the first half an hour of that fire, we would have lost at least four properties and most likely lost lives."
The fire was initially reported about 3.3pm by James Dickinson, who also reported the tops of trees had caught fire and were touching the powerlines.
Mr Dickinson was soon joined by the CFA to fight the fire, but the power line wasn't de-energised until 9.35pm, according to the case summary.
"This fire could easily have been avoided if the required fire prevention measures had been completed and maintained," the CFA captain wrote.
The court heard in the 11 months to the September before the fire, EnergySafe enforcement officers noted 140 instances of vegetation falling within the minimum clearance space of power lines.
Powercor first recorded the span of line where the fire began to be non-compliant with minimum vegetation distance requirements in October 2020, and only inspected it three more times before the bushfire in 2023.
"They recorded an incremental decrease in the clearance space between the closest vegetation and the conductor," prosecuting barrister Andrew Woods told the court.
"Which is indicative of no cutting having occurred between inspections."
A Powercor employee inspecting the line almost a year before the fire had recommended trimming eucalyptus trees below, but Powercor scrapped the plan 10 days before the fire.
"On 7 February, 2023 Powercor cancelled the allocation of the span for cutting of the vegetation beneath the electric lines as part of its prioritisation process to focus resources on other areas considered to be of highest priority," Mr Woods told the court.
In another impact statement a local farmer said their trust in Powercor had been shaken as they struggled to pick up the pieces after the fire.
"I previously felt quite safe and satisfied that Powercor appropriately managed fire risk in my area but now I have a lack of trust in it," the farmer wrote.
"Since the fire I continue to feel stress about the uncertainty of the effects of the fire and the ability to bear the costs associated with the damage."
The hearing continues.
