- Bushfires triple in size in Victoria
- Conditions could worsen on Thursday
An out-of-control bushfire continues to threaten communities in western Victoria after the inferno tripled in size in just 24 hours.
The fire in Victoria’s Grampians National Park has burned through 34,000 hectares and continues to grow despite more than 300 firefighters battling to bring it under control ahead of extreme heat and windy conditions forecast for Thursday.
Emergency warnings are in place for those in and around the tourist hotspot of Halls Gap to leave immediately.
Authorities say it could take weeks to fully contain the fire started by lightning earlier in the week, and an emergency evacuation warning remains in effect for several communities.
The fire, which started almost a week ago, tripled in size between Friday and Saturday due to high temperatures and strong winds.
Similar conditions Saturday night caused the inferno to move toward Halls Gap and Lake Bellfield.
Incident controller Aaron Kennedy said the fire was burning in very steep, difficult and dry terrain.
“Our ability to fight this fire directly is a challenge,” he said.
An out-of-control bushfire continues to threaten communities in western Victoria after the inferno tripled in size in just 24 hours.
Kennedy said the fire risk was expected to increase on Thursday when a high temperature of 39C and windy conditions were forecast for the area.
“This will mean we will again see potentially significant fire behavior and then further fire growth across the landscape,” he said.
“Our teams are working very hard to try to contain this fire ahead of the Boxing Day weather event.”
Kennedy said two years of dry conditions in western Victoria, particularly in the Grampians National Park, meant fires spread quickly.
An emergency evacuation warning remained in place overnight due to the Grampians fire, with residents in several towns including Bellfield, Halls Gap and Fyans Creek being told to leave immediately.
The threat to the nearby communities of Lake Fyans, Pomonal, Mafeking and Watgania eased late on Saturday when emergency warnings were reduced to watch and act, but it was not safe to return.
A fire in Bullengarook, northwest of Melbourne, was also downgraded to watch and action.
The same level of warning remains in place for Bornes Hill, Grampians, Jimmy Creek, Mirranatwa, Victoria Valley, Barton, Jallukur and Londonderry.
There are help centers open in Ararat and Stawell. The Grampians National Park is closed to visitors.
A bushfire at The Gurdies in South Gippsland was also downgraded to warning.
Fires in New South Wales and Western Australia have also battled multiple bushfires in the early weeks of summer.
Temperatures between 30 and 40 degrees are expected to affect WA, including the state’s forested southwest, over the weekend before moving eastwards.
Elevated fire dangers are forecast for southern and mid-western WA, with dry storms possible in western parts.
Heatwave conditions are forecast for the state’s mid-west and the Kimberley and Pilbara regions.
Moderate and extreme fire weather conditions are forecast for inland parts of New South Wales in the coming days, including the greater Sydney area.