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Authorities have warned Victorians not “to be complacent” on Boxing Day, as a hot, dry and windy forecast gives out-of-control fires “enormous potential” to spread.
The state is officially in the ‘Fire Danger Period’, as a fire in Grampians National Park has now grown to more than 40,000 hectares.
Specialised firefighting teams are among 100-strong interstate personnel being deployed to assist with the response.
A Total Fire Ban is expected to be announced across most of Victoria for Boxing Day, with deputy premier Ben Carroll warning December 26 will be “problematic”.
“The advice is very clear, this is the beginning of what will be a long, hot and dangerous bushfire season,” Carroll said.
“The fire that we do not know about, is the fire that we’re worried about.
“Boxing Day is going to be a big day for our state.
“We’ve had fires already burning across Victoria and we’re heading into even more extreme conditions on Boxing Day. ”
CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said temperatures in the low 40s were expected across most of the state on Thursday.
“It’s those hot, northerly winds that will be causing concerns for fire authorities,” he said.
“We’re looking at an average of around 40 km/h with a gust of 70-80 km/h and a peak wind gust of 100 km/h is not out of the question throughout the course of the day.”
Heffernan said the frontal system was forecast to move through the state quickly, reaching Melbourne in the early evening.
He warned that dry and strong westerly to south westerly winds would follow that change, pushing fire danger warnings into December 27.
“The fuel is very dry, the bush is dry… it is ready to burn,” Heffernan warned.
“It will be a very challenging day. ”
The CFA said it was taking “due consideration” to the possibility of a statewide Total Fire Ban on Boxing Day and was expected to confirm its decision tomorrow.
‘We need Victorians’ help’
Authorities are urging all Victorians to have the VicEmergency app downloaded on their phones to remain up to date with fire danger over the coming days.
Heffernan warned Boxing Day was “not a day to be complacent” and urged travelling Victorians to make more than one source of fire danger information available to them.
“If you are travelling, make sure you have the [VicEmergency] app open and available to you,” Heffernan said.
“With these sorts of winds and temperatures, it will not be unusual for power to be lost and internet connectivity to be lost or intermittent.
“It is important you know your emergency broadcaster station to ensure you remain connected throughout the course of the day and into the evening.”
“It’s the fire we don’t have, that could occur on that day that potentially can spread and catch communities unaware.
“That is why we need to enact your bushfire survival plan and know what you and your family are going to do in the event of a fire occurring.”
Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) Chief Fire Officer Chris Hardman warned Victorians to be “very clear of where you are” in proximity to the three out-of-control blazes and any others that may emerge on Boxing Day
“For all the fires, the winds will start coming strongly from the north, then there will be a westerly and southwesterly change, so the fires are going to push to the south and the east,” Hardman said.
“It’s going to be really important that you listen to the messages, you evacuate early when needed [and] you activate your bushfire survival plan.”
The federal government is working on activating disaster recovery payments for impacted residents, Carroll said.
Grampians Fire
Hundreds of residents in Halls Gap, Bellfield, Lake Fyans, and surrounding areas have been told it is unsafe to return after being urged to evacuate.
A Watch and Act warning also remains in place for Pomonal, Barton, Mafeking, Watgania, Londonderry, Moyston, Rhymney, Bellellen, Black Range, Great Western, Jalluka and Willaura North.
VicEmergency said “favourable weather conditions and light rain over the fire area” overnight had slowed the spread of fire.
But the situation can change at any time, authorities warn.
“The situation can change at any time. You must monitor conditions and be ready to act,” the warning said.
Melbourne experienced some heavy summer rainfall yesterday, however, authorities said it did little to assist firefighters.
The Grampians National Park, about 200 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, remains closed to the public.
The following relief centres are open:
- Alexandra Oval Community Centre, 1 Waratah Ave, Ararat.
- Grampians Community Health, known as “The Shacc”, 22 Patrick Street Stawell.
Meanwhile, 50 kilometres from the front line in Ararat, a base camp has been set up to keep close to 500 fire crews and volunteers rested and fed.
Hardman said 18 aircrafts and 300 firefighters had been deployed to work in the forested area of the national park.
Volunteers were also working to protect assets along the perimeters of the fire.
“When that weather changes on Boxing Day, that fire is going to move and it’s going to move quickly,” Hardman said.
Planned burns and back-burning by FFMV personnel to mitigate fire risk on Boxing Day was also producing large amounts of smoke in the area.
“The FFMV is burning out very large areas of that forested landscape …that is to make sure when we get to Boxing Day, that if, and the likely occurrence of that fire coming out, it will not come out as intesnely as it would have done without this planned burning and back burning operations continuing,” Hardman said.
‘Catastrophic’ conditions forecast
Much of the state is forecast to experience high temperatures in the coming days, with Boxing Day posing a particular concern for fire crews.
The Wimmera District is forecast to reach “catastrophic” conditions on Boxing Day with hot, dry and windy conditions expected.
Extreme fire danger is also expected for most of the state.
“The fire is currently in very steep and difficult terrain and our firefighting operations have been hampered by quite significant wind and underlying fuel dryness,” Incident Controller Aaron Kennedy said.
“Christmas Day and Boxing Day are both going to be days of elevated high fire danger.
“In preparation of that we are working very hard to strengthen our containment lines across the fire ground.”
More than 100 personnel from New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, and Tasmania will arrive in the state to assist with firefighting efforts.
This support will include two Incident Management Teams (IMTs) and four specialised firefighting taskforces.
State Response Controller David Nugent said these interstate resources would provide a welcome relief for local crews.
It comes as residents living in the town of Bullengarook, 14 kilometres west of Gisborne, are warned to monitor conditions for another out-of-control blaze.
VicEmergency warns the fire is travelling from Coffeys Road in a north-easterly direction towards Mulcahy Road and Waterloo Flat Road.
“You should stay informed, monitor conditions and plan for what you will do if the situation changes,” the warning said.
“Crews have been able to slow the spread of fire for now and will continue working over the coming days, in preparation for the dangerous fire weather expected on Thursday.”
The following roads are closed:
- Coffeys Road, Bullengarook
- Waterloo Flat Road, Bullengarook
- Carrolls Lane, Bullengarook
Bullengarook is about 63km from Melbourne.
A community meeting will be held at 6pm at Sunbury and Macedon Ranges Specialist School on 705 Bacchus Marsh Road in Bacchus Marsh.
A Watch and Act alert has since been downgraded to an Advice alert, but Hardman warned the fire had “enormous potential to spread all the way into the northern suburbs of Ballarat” come Boxing Day.
He said strong aviation assets and firefighters were doing their best to contain the fire, which has so far burned through 144 hectares of land.
“Lets make sure the communities are ready and understand what’s going on
“Local CFA are doing incredible work with local communities in preparing them for the worst case scenario,” Hardman said.
Another fire, which reached an emergency level last week, also remains out-of-control at the Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve.
That fire has burned 200 hectares of land and crews are using bulldozer lines and grader lines to build a perimeter around the fire.
“That fire has enormous potential to grow on Boxing Day,” Hardman said.
An Advice warning remains for Grantville, Pioneer Bay, St Helier, The Gurdies and Woodleigh.
“There is currently no threat to you, but you should stay informed and plan for what you will do if the situation changes,” the warning said.
Fire authorities warn people to ‘use common sense’
The CFA issued a warning today, confirming that the whole state was now in the Fire Danger Period.
CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan urged people to use common sense and take responsibility for preventing fires.
“We are already seeing in parts of the state if fires break out, they’re likely to burn intensely this summer period,” he said.
“We can’t get a fire truck into every driveway so we are asking Victorians to know their fire risk, plan ahead and make sure we are doing our part to keep each other safe.”
The National Council for Fire and Emergency Services warned in September of the dangers this fire season may pose.
South-western Victoria, including the Wimmera region, Grampians National Park, and Mallee country, were warned of being at particular risk.
“What we’re seeing, due to the 24 months of rainfall deficiencies across western Victoria and in Grampians National Park, we’re seeing significant spotting and all fires are starting and taking very easily,” Kennedy said.
“It’s making it very difficult to contain these fires as they occur.”
Melbourne is forecast to have a high of 40 on Boxing Day, while Halls Gap is expecting 39, Mildura 43 and Horsham 42.
Heavy smoke from the fire continues to blanket the area, with a large plume visible from space.
Over the weekend, the smoke was also seen covering the skies in Melbourne and Ballarat.
Township impacted twice
Towns like Pomonal, currently under a Watch and Act alert, remain on edge today.
In February, a bushfire destroyed a business, 40 homes and a primary school in Pomonal, which was estimated to be 40 per cent of the town.
Grampians Tourism chief executive Marc Sleeman, who lives in Pomonal, said they were just starting to recover from the fires earlier this year.
“Right now is our peak period,” he told Today.
“The Grampians attracts thousands of visitors during that summer time. That generates substantial revenue for local businesses, including all our accommodation, restaurants, tour operators and retail outlets. So this fire has impacted both the community and also all of our businesses across the region.”
It’s estimated the region is losing about $2 million every day due to the ongoing crisis.
