Victorians urged to evacuate Otways as massive fire threatens to spread east towards more than 1,000 homes | Victoria bushfires 2026
Residents of more than 1,000 homes in Victoria have been urged to leave before sunset in anticipation of a massive fire spreading and the onset of a severe heatwave.
Six fires were burning across the state as of Monday afternoon, and officials were concerned that Tuesday’s heatwave conditions and forecast northerly winds could cause the fire in the Otways to spread as far as Lorne.
Gellibrand resident Rob Murphy was helping out at the Gellibrand River Hotel Pub when his farm was threatened.
“The fire is very close to our property and depending on the wind conditions it will also affect our farm,” he told Guardian Australia.
“Right now the house is probably in good shape, but who knows what tomorrow will bring.”
Residents of the south-west Victorian towns of Gellibrand, Kawarren, Beechwood, Forrest, Barongarook and the surrounding areas of the Otways national park. called for evacuation After the fire breached containment lines on Saturday afternoon.
Some people in the town were preparing to stay and defend, but many had already left, Murphy said. He said the town was covered in a thick blanket of smoke throughout the night as the fire came within 1 km of the bar.
“In the bar now we’re just helping people, making sure everyone gets a cold drink, making sure people know where to go and making sure locals connect with each other.”
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The Otways fire has burned about 9,400 hectares and could spread as far as Lorne, State Control Center spokeswoman Reegan Key said on Monday.
“We had six aircraft and over 300 firefighters working on it, but there is extreme fire danger in that area of the southwest again tomorrow with very strong winds and very high temperatures,” Key said.
“We are really concerned about the potential for the fire to progress at great speed, affecting communities upstream from Gellibrand, Forrest, Barongarook and, if very bad, potentially as far as Lorne or Aireys Bay tomorrow.”
Victoria police and State Emergency Service crews began knocking on doors of homes and properties in the Greater Otways area on Monday, strongly advising residents to evacuate immediately.
“We’re asking them to evacuate before sundown today because … we don’t want them to be in areas with such bad conditions tomorrow,” Key said.
A total fire ban was introduced across the state on Tuesday and all visitor areas in the Great Otway national park and State Forests are closed until further notice due to severe heat forecast.
Fire conditions are expected to be extreme in five regions of the state – Central, Mallee, North Central, South West and Wimmera. fire danger rating There are only a few spots of catastrophic conditions in the Wimmera.
Key said the state had not experienced heat of this intensity since 2009, with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting temperatures at Ouyen and Mildura in north-west Victoria would reach 49C on Tuesday.
Hot weather combined with a “significant” wind change Tuesday afternoon will make it harder to battle the flames, Key said.
“In Victoria these are conditions that always create problems for firefighting,” he said.
There were six active major fires across the state on Monday, three of which were of concern; The Otways fire, the Walwa fire and a fire moving towards Dargo in the Alpine national park.
Residents near the Murray River were also told to leave their homes as firefighters battled the blaze that spread through the wilderness park.
The order, issued on Monday, covers the Nariel Valley in north-east Victoria and covers the McNamara Pass, Staceys Bridge and surrounding areas.
Many places in Victoria’s north were facing the prospect of seven consecutive days of maximum temperatures above 40C.
– with AAP
