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Premier Jacinta Allan provided an update on the bushfires in Victoria’s west this morning.
She was joined by Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes, Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent and CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan at the State Control Centre.
You can watch it back here:
- Leave immediately (issued at 11.10am): Warning for Amphitheatre, Chute, Elmhurst, Eversley, Glenlofty, Glenlogie, Glenpatrick, Glenshee, Green Hill Creek, Landsborough, Mount Cole, Mount Lonarch and Nowhere Creek. The bushfire is heading in a north-easterly direction towards Elmhurst, Amphitheatre and surrounding areas.
- Leave immediately (issued at 10.45am): Warning for Bayindeen, Beaufort, Ben Nevis, Chute, Eversley, Glenlogie, Main Lead, Middle Creek, Mount Cole, Mount Cole Creek, Mount Lonarch, Raglan, Warrak, Waterloo. There is a bushfire located between Mount Cole and Raglan that is not under control.
Emergency services are reporting homes have been lost in bushfires while they’ve told thousands of residents from more than 30 communities near Ballarat to leave their homes.
About 1000 firefighters have been battling the blaze since Thursday, including those operating water bombing aircraft.
The Western Highway has now been reopened in both directions between Ballarat and Horsham.
A reduced speed limit is still in place near Dadswells Bridge as work gets under way.
Closures are in place on the Pyrenees Highway in both directions between Eversley and Amphitheatre due to bushfires.
V/Line trains on the Ararat Line remain suspended between Ararat and Wendouree, and coaches have been unable to operate due to road closures.
Replacement coaches between Ballarat and Ararat are expected to start shortly via the Western Highway. The first scheduled service will be the 11.48am coach from Ararat to Ballarat.
Crews have advised track inspections will begin soon, and train services will start operating when it’s safe to do so.
Anyone planning to travel should check the V/Line website for service updates.
Traffic conditions are available at traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au. The latest public transport information and network status is available at ptv.vic.gov.au or in the PTV mobile app.
Emergency Commissioner Rick Nugent has confirmed at least one home has been lost in bushfires in Victoria’s west.
Nugent said aerial support had saved up to 50 properties overnight.
He said the Rocky Road fire was just over 11,000 hectares in size.
There are currently 59 aircraft in Victoria, three aircraft from New South Wales, including two large air tankers and a large helicopter, supporting the firefighting efforts, Nugent said.
“Firefighters have been working around the clock for the last 24 hours to suppress this fire and minimise the impacts on the community.
“Strike teams in the Country Fire Authority, Forest Fire Management Victoria and Fire Rescue Victoria and a significant amount of aircraft continue to work on that fire here today.”
At relief centres in the area, at least 12 people stayed overnight in Ararat while 18 stayed overnight in Wendouree, with many choosing to sleep outside in caravans and cars with their pets.
“Looking ahead, we’re still in summer, we’re still going to have hot and dry conditions, so we in all of the emergency service agencies and organisations will continue to stay focused on that and more broadly across the state,” Nugent said.
CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said milder conditions were expected in western Victoria in the next 24 hours, ahead of dangerous fire weather next Wednesday.
“Whilst the predictions are always uncertain this far out, we are expected to see conditions somewhat similar to yesterday,” he said.
Heffernan said the forecast was for temperatures up to 40 degrees with strong northerly winds, with a southwesterly bluster coming through later in the day.
“We’re going to be keeping a very close eye on those conditions as that frontal system moves way across from Western Australia … so that we can inform communities.”
Premier Jacinta Allan said the extent of property damage was yet to be assessed due to the difficult terrain in the fire-affected region.
“Sadly, we are hearing reports of property loss that are starting to come through, given the active nature of the fire and the difficult terrain in the area. It is going to take some time to assess the full extent of the damage,” she said.
Allan is providing the latest bushfire information from the State Control Centre, alongside Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes, Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent and CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan.
She said firefighters had worked through the night, and despite the cool change the fire had been “extremely active overnight”.
“It has been a tough night. A really tough night for communities,” Allan said.
United Firefighters Union Victorian branch secretary Peter Marshall has written to Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes, demanding an urgent response to restore the state of Fire Rescue Victoria’s fleet.
In a statement, the union said two firefighting vehicles broke down on the way to the Beaufort fires on Thursday.
“A 15-year-old Mk pumper tanker deployed as part of an emergency strike team broke down on the Western Highway in Ballan and, as of 10pm Thursday, had not been repaired,” the statement said.
“A second pumper tanker sent to replace that vehicle overheated and was unable to leave the Beaufort fire station. That truck was also 15 years old – the age at which fire trucks are meant to be retired and replaced under current policy.
“Just before midnight, the second pumper tanker gave up, resulting in FRV needing to deploy a further appliance out of its own operations to complete the strike team.”
Marshall said the FRV fleet was in such a state of disrepair that frontline appliances were breaking down on their way to critical deployments.
“Fire Rescue Victoria has for over two years raised the need for replacement appliances and funding for such.
“FRV asked the minister to rectify the problem, and the minister ignored it.
“This situation cannot be considered acceptable,” he said.
Pyrenees Shire Council mayor Robert Vance says there has been a loss of livestock and outbuildings in the area due to the fire.
“Once the fire comes out of the forest, it’s fair to assume that quite a [good] deal of sheep, I would imagine most between the forest and Beaufort in that area [would be lost],” Vance told ABC Radio Ballarat.
Vance said he was among 110 people at a relief centre in Wendouree, and the next concern for the council and community were the towns of Elmhurst and Amphitheatre.
“It’s frightening if the fire gets going through Elmhurst and gets into the Pyrenees ranges. I fear to think what the future will be... hopefully the fire is contained before it crosses the Pyrenees Highway and the railway line,” he said.
The Rocky Road, Bayindeen fire as seen on Thursday.Credit: CFA
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- Watch and act (issued at 9.10am): Warning for Amphitheatre and Lexton. There is a bushfire located between Mount Cole and Raglan that is not under control. The bushfire is travelling from Rocky Road, Bayindeen in a north-easterly direction towards Avoca.
- Leave immediately (issued at 9.08am): Warning for Elmhurst, Eversley, Glenlofty, Glenlogie, Glenpatrick, Glenshee, Green Hill Creek, Landsborough, Mount Cole, Mount Lonarch, Nowhere Creek, Percydale, Warrenmang.
- Leave immediately (issued at 9.05am): Warning for Bayindeen, Beaufort, Ben Nevis, Buangor, Chute, Ercildoune, Eversley, Glenbrae, Glenlogie, Langi Kal Kal, Lexton, Main Lead, Middle Creek, Mount Cole, Mount Cole Creek, Mount Lonarch, Raglan, Trawalla, Warrak, Waterloo, Eurambeen, Buangor East, Brewster.
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2024-02-23 00:14:32Z
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