Firefighters are continuing to battle three main fires across the state at the Grampians National Park, The Gurdies and Bullengarook.
Despite more settled weather yesterday and overnight, the fire at the Grampians National Park increased to over 34,000 hectares and remains out of control as it moves from the southern section of the park to the north towards Halls Gap.
People in Bellfield, Bellfield Settlement, Flat Rock Crossing, Fyans Creek, Grampians Junction and Halls Gap were advised to evacuate from the area and travel to friends and family or Emergency Relief Centres established in Stawell and Ararat.
The Grampians National Park remains closed as fire crews continue to battle the blaze and secure containment lines ahead of expected increased fire danger on Thursday, December 26.
Horsham Incident Controller (IC), Aaron Kennedy said two years of rainfall deficiencies across western Victoria means all new ignitions are taking, making controlling the blaze a real challenge.
“We’ve seen significant movement in this fire over the last couple of days with the fire traveling up to 16 kilometres on Friday,” IC Kennedy said.
“The fire is in steep and difficult terrain, and our firefighting operations have been hampered by quite significant winds and underlying fuel dryness.”
State Response Controller (SRC), Garry Cook said both ground and air crews were continuing to work hard to reduce the spread of the Yarram-Gap Road fire ahead of next Thursday’s elevated fire conditions.
“As we look toward Boxing Day, firefighters are currently conducting back-burning operations to protect nearby towns and establish fire breaks,” SRC Cook said.
“Boxing Day is a big travel day right across the state, so we urge those travelling to download the VicEmergeny App before you go, and to continue listening to emergency broadcasters and monitoring the conditions and warnings of your destination throughout your holiday.”
Victorians are reminded to never rely on one channel for emergency information. Connect to official sources of emergency information, including:
- VicEmergency app
- www.emergency.vic.gov.au
- Tune in to local emergency broadcasters such as ABC local radio, commercial and select community radio stations, or SkyNews TV
- Phone the VicEmergency Hotline on 1800 226 226
- Follow VicEmergency on Facebook and Twitter
Media contact:
State Control Centre Media: 1300 282 289
