Otways fire poses new threat to lives and homes as temperatures soar
Updated ,first published
Several Otway Ranges towns face a renewed fire threat after a fire that started two weeks ago was fueled by extreme heat and broke containment lines.
People in the path of the Carlisle River fire southwest of Colac were told it was too late to leave and seek immediate shelter as wind shifts had shifted the danger zone.
Firefighters said the blaze breached containment lines, with temperatures in parts of the Otways reaching 39 degrees after 5pm on a day of extreme fire danger in the south-west. Already more than 200 hectares have been burned beyond the previous footprint.
As of 8 p.m., the wildfire is moving northeast from the intersection of Carlisle River Road and Walls-Skinner Track from Gellibrand to Barongarook.
Authorities say people in Barongarook, Barongarook West, Beech Forest, Carlisle River, Gellibrand, Gerangamete, Irrewillipe, Kawarren, Lovat and Wimba should seek shelter immediately, while people west of this area (in the Black Bridge Road area of the Otways) should leave immediately.
As of 8pm, a new bushfire had started to the east of the main fire and is now spreading between Gellibrand and Barongarook. Embers can be seen about five kilometers away from the fire.
An emergency center has been set up at the Colac Showgrounds for people displaced by the fire, and animals can also be brought there.
More information is available at Colac Otway Performing Arts and Cultural Centre.
Bushfire Management Victoria’s Chief Fire Officer Chris Hardman said the wind shift was moving through the area from 6pm.
“There is active fire behavior in a six-kilometre column. The community needs to adapt to what’s going on: this fire will likely continue to move through the night,” he told Nine News.
Smoke from the fire is blowing eastwards and officials warn a change in wind will cause smoke to drift as far as the Mornington Peninsula and Phillip Island.
More than 60 vehicles are responding to the fires that have destroyed more than 5000 hectares of national park area over the past two and a half weeks.
Another forest fire, which burned more than 3,000 hectares in the national park in Kennedy’s Creek, was brought under control.
Saturday is a total fire ban day across Victoria and the Country Fire Authority also announced a new total fire ban for the Northern Country, North Central, North East and East Gippsland on Sunday.
High temperatures also led the Australian Open to suspend play on all outdoor courts and cover the roofs of indoor stadiums.
Saturday is the first day of a multi-day heatwave forecast for Victoria, with the hottest day expected to be Tuesday.
Melbourne is expected to reach 43 that day and Mildura is expected to reach 48; This threatens temperature records for the state.
Hardman said other existing bushfires in Victoria could become threats again in the heatwave.
“We have active fire behavior on the Mount Lawson Fire. The wind shift is not going to get to that fire, so that’s going to put a lot of pressure on the southern edge of the fire and we expect the fire to move in the coming days,” Walwa said.
“There is also a fire around Dargo in Wonnangatta district… the activity of this fire is now starting to increase. It is not moving at the moment but it is something to watch.”
Meanwhile, police have arrested a man who allegedly set five fires deliberately in the Goulburn Valley area on Friday and Saturday.
The 59-year-old, of no fixed address, is expected to be interviewed after the fires in Kaarimba and Bunbartha, three of which broke out on Saturday’s fire ban day.
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