Residents in the path of an out-of-control bushfire in western Victoria have been told they are in immediate danger and it’s too late to leave, while those under threat from a second blaze are being urged to flee while there’s still time.
An emergency warning to take shelter has been issued for Dimboola and Wail in Victoria’s north-west, with a fire at Little Desert National Park not yet under control and heading toward those towns.
‘You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately. It is too late to leave,’ the VicEmergency website states.
A second out-of-control fire is burning at the Grampians National Park – an area popular with holidaymakers – with those in the Strachans, Victoria Point and Victoria Valley areas advised to leave as of 7am on Monday.
‘Leaving immediately is the safest option before conditions become too dangerous,’ the emergency authority said.
‘Emergency services may not be able to help you if you decide to stay’.
Little Desert Nature Lodge, an accommodation and wedding venue, has reportedly been destroyed.
The Dimboola fire was sparked by dry lightning at Little Desert National Park about lunch time on Monday and has already grown to 63,000 hectares, State Control Centre spokesman Luke Heagerty said.
‘The fire grew to such a size and was carrying such energy with it yesterday that it made it quite difficult for any containment to occur,’ he said.
Mr Heagerty said it appears the fire had spread from public land to private property near the Wimmera River, close to the Dimboola Golf Course.
Most residents are thought to have evacuated to Horsham while it was still safe and it’s not yet known if any homes were lost.
‘Assessments for property impacts will start today once there’s some better light in the area and it’s safe for our crews to do so, because they still need to make sure that it’s safe even for our crews to get in there and have a look at the impacts of the fire,’ Mr Heagerty said.
An additional 25 fire trucks were deployed to the scene, with embers sparking small blazes ahead of the main blaze.
Those in the path of fires have been told to take medications and pets, while drivers in the area are urged to turn on their headlights to help navigate through smoke.
Mr Heagerty said it’s expected crews would be battling the fires for several weeks and authorities are concerned there may be other fires they do not yet know about.
‘We can also have scenarios where dry lightning starts a fire in a tree stump, for example, it might not show up for another week or two,’ he said.
‘We’re probably expecting that we’re going to be fairly busy out of what we saw moved through the state yesterday.’
The blaze flared over the Day long weekend as temperatures reached the 40s, followed by a cool change and gusty winds.
A watch and act warning has been issued for Cooack, Duchembegarra, Gerang Gerung, Goroke, Grass Flat, Kiata, Kinimakatka, Lawloit, Little Desert, Nurcoung, Peronne, Pimpinio, Winiam and Winiam East.
Several roads are closed due to the blaze including the Western Highway between Dimboola and Horsham and Dimboola and Nhill and the Borung Highway between Dimboola and Cannum.
A relief centre has been set up at the Horsham Senior Citizens Centre, with local MP Emma Kealey saying the community had stepped up to help its own.
‘Most people have got accommodation from friends and family. There’s a lot of support going around,’ she told 7News.
CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said ‘lightning strikes’ had ‘ignited a number of fires’ as temperatures soared on Monday.
‘Two fires are of particular interest, one is the Little Desert fire which has reached 63,000 hectares and moved 40km in an afternoon, growing to 50,000 hectares in size. That fire grew in sufficient size due to unstable air mass and actually created its own thunderstorm, then we saw even more lightning strikes,’ he said.
The SES website said that ‘firefighters have been able to slow the spread of fire for now, but the situation can change at any time’.
A Watch and Act warning has been issued for Brimpaen, Laharum, Wartook, and Zumsteins, 9km north of Halls Gap.
Residents fleeing the area have been warned about trees, which can be ‘extremely dangerous during a bushfire or high winds’.
‘Do not stand, park or travel in areas of fire-affected trees,’ VicEmergency said.
High fire danger ratings have been issued for all of Victoria apart from South Gippsland, West Gippsland and East Gippsland, which has a moderate rating.