Daily London
Victoria’s Acting Premier Ben Carroll issued a dire warning about what the state faced in the coming days, as crews battle multiple fires burning out of control across the state.
“We are talking tomorrow of uncontrollable, unpredictable bushfires with a real risk of loss — loss of life and property,” Carroll said.
“Catastrophic means catastrophic. Victoria is one of the most bushfire-prone areas in the world.”
He urged people to comply with emergency services warnings and stay up to date.
“The best protection you can give your family is leaving early,” he said.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Sarah Scully told Today that conditions in Victoria would deteriorate.
“Tomorrow is going to be a really peak fire danger day, with damaging winds across South Australia and Victoria and extreme to catastrophic fire dangers on the forecast,” she said.Today.
“We’re expecting the next few days to continue to be really hot, and Melbourne’s temperature goes up again to 41 degrees tomorrow, but then a strong cold front will finally flush that heat away.”
Cooler temperatures are expected by the end of the weekend.
Up to 88 firefighters and about 70 aircraft, including a Black Hawk helicopter, are being deployed from NSW to assist crews on several fronts in Victoria.
Multiple districts will be rated “catastrophic” for fire danger tomorrow, with residents urged to leave by 7am.
So far, the South West, Wimmera, Northern Country, and Northern Central districts will have the “catastrophic” rating, with the rest of the state’s fire danger rating “extreme”.
A total fire ban will be in place statewide, with hot, dry conditions and the risk of dry lighting.
“It will be unpredictable, uncontrollable, and fast moving fires tomorrow,” Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said.
Longwood fire spreads in multiple directions
An emergency warning is active for a fire that continued to burn overnight in Longwood, north of Seymour.
The fire is spreading to the west towards Locksley and to the south towards Ruffy.
Residents in Avenel, Caveat, Dropmore, Highlands, Ruffy, Tarcombe, Terip Terip, Locksley, Longwood, Longwood East and Upton Hill have been urged to leave immediately towards Seymour.
Embers are starting small fires ahead of the main fire, triggering a watch and act warning for residents in southern parts of Caveat, Dropmore and Highlands as well as Terip Terip and Yarck.
“Prepare to Leave, have your items ready and your travel plans organised,” a message from the CFA said.
The fire could also impact land south of a zone bound by Maggies Lane, Mount Monica, Tarcombe Road, Nolans Road and Bunting Hills Road, VicEmergency warned.
The fire behaviour is expected to increase during the day and will affect communities south of the fire, VicEmergency warned.
The blaze has forced the closure of the Hume Freeway between Violet Town and Avenel.
Avenel-Longwood Road and Clarkes Road are open.
Wiebusch said two “structures” so far had been confirmed destroyed in the Longwood fire.
The structures were spotted from the air in deep bushland but had not undergone a closer inspection.
Wiebusch said it was not yet certain whether the structures were homes.
They are the only confirmed property losses so far.
New ‘leave now’ warning for second fire
A new “leave immediately” warning has been issued for the Walwa fire, near Wodonga on the border of Victoria and NSW.
The warning covers Bungil, Burrowye, Guys Forest, Koetong, Mount Alfred, Mount Alfred Gap and Thologolong.
The blaze has burnt through Mt Lawson State Park for days now, spreading across more than 1200 hectares of land.
It is now spotting ahead of into the private land around the Burrowye area.
Residents north of the Burrowye Fire Station are told to go north on Guys Forest Road on the Murray River Road towards Corryong.
Those south of the Burrowye Fire Station should go south on the Guys Forest Road towards Corryong.
Do not use Burrowye Road to go south to Koetong.
The Upper Murray Event Centre at the Corryong Football Oval is open for community members seeking relief from the heat.
