Bushfire threatens central Victorian towns as firefighters brace for wind change
Updated ,first published
An out-of-control bushfire is threatening lives in three central Victoria towns as firefighters brace for a change in wind in the coming hours.
The fire started in inaccessible land around Tallarook State Forest on a day when emergency services warned Victorians to be alert to extreme fire danger.
Residents of Kerrisdale, Tallarook and Trawool, about 15 kilometers south of Seymour, are being urged to take immediate fire protection.
“You are in danger and must take immediate action to survive,” the warning read. “The safest option is to take shelter inside immediately. It’s too late to go out.”
Further south, there is a watch and take action alert for residents near King Parrot Creek Road from Tehans Road to Strath Creek Road. Citizens are now asked to leave this place.
Granite, Dairy Creek and Homewood residents are advised to stay informed and plan what to do if the situation changes.
State Control Center spokesman David Nugent said the fire was burning in a southwest direction towards Flynns Road.
The CFA said a wind change was expected between 6pm and 8pm, which would change the direction of the fire and send it north-east.
“The change will create additional challenges for us,” Nugent said.
Nugent said it was important for people to monitor the fire’s movement and check the VicEmergency app regularly if they were in the area.
As of 17:00, 116 hectares of land had burned and more than 96 firefighters, as well as five helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft, were fighting the fire. At this stage, there is no information about any financial loss.
VicEmergency sent emergency alerts to 1,000 phones early on Tuesday.
The fire is burning about 15 kilometers from the western edge of the Longwood fire, one of the worst in the state during a devastating January for Victoria.
A 78-year-old man died and hundreds of homes were lost when the Longwood fire burned more than 100,000 acres; Firefighters only got it under control five weeks later last Friday.
Police are still investigating the cause of the fire.
Parts of Melbourne and Victoria reached top temperatures around 35 degrees on Tuesday afternoon; this was below 37, the highest temperature predicted for Melbourne.
A total fire ban R.It will apply for the remainder of the day for Central, North Central, South West, West and South Gippsland and Wimmera fire districts; This means that no open fires can be lit or allowed to remain open on February 17.
Extreme fire danger is expected in each of these areas, as well as in north-east Victoria.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Morgan Pumpa said a cool change would not reach Melbourne until the afternoon or evening as a wind shift from the south-west pushed ocean breeze across Victoria.
“We’ll see some cooler air out east… For the most part, everyone should expect the winds to be warm and dry,” Pumpa said.
Pumpa said storms were possible across a wide swath of Victoria, from Echuca-Moama to Baw Baw Mountain and Traralgon.
Parts of the state haven’t had significant rain in weeks, leaving plenty of dry fuel behind despite major fires this season.
The predicted dangerous weather follows January, when fires burned more than 400,000 hectares in Victoria.
One person died and nearly 1,600 structures were damaged or destroyed after the fires, which started in the first week of the year and worsened when extreme heat peaked on January 9.
Later that month, a major bushfire flared in the Otways, prompting evacuations and causing financial losses.
On Monday, Wiebusch said he hoped the Otways fire would be under control next week.
from AAP
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Angus Delaney is a reporter for The Age. Email him at angus.delaney@theage.com.au or contact him securely on Signal at angusdelaney.31.Connect via email.
