By Bianca Hall and Alexander Darling
Smoke from uncontrolled bushfires tearing through Tasmania’s wilderness shrouded much of Melbourne in haze late on Wednesday, as Victorian authorities remain on high alert ahead of hot conditions forecast for Thursday.
Satellite imagery released by Weatherzone showed vast smoke plumes from the Tasmanian blazes across Bass Strait and over Melbourne.
Smoke from uncontrolled fires in Tasmania shrouded Melbourne, as Victorian bushfires burnt out of control.Credit: Weatherzone
The agency reported more than 100,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes hit Victoria between Sunday and Tuesday, some of which sparked fresh bushfires.
In Tasmania, authorities closed the Overland Track after an uncontrolled blaze at Canning Peak came within five kilometres of the popular trail. Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service said conditions were unpredictable, and the track would remain closed for at least three days. More than a dozen other fires are burning in the state.
In Victoria, twin blazes at the northern and southern ends of the Grampians National Park joined late on Tuesday, with the southern fire ripping through burnt land to the north.
About 1000 firefighters – including more than 100 from interstate – are still battling uncontrolled flames there and in the Little Desert National Park, near the South Australian border.
Fire burns in the Grampians National Park.Credit: State Control Centre
Australia has endured a week of extreme conditions, with bushfires, thunderstorms, lightning strikes and gusty winds hitting the north and west of Victoria, heatwaves scorching parts of every state and territory, and storms and floods hitting NSW and Queensland.
Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino said Melbourne had its hottest three-day spell in 11 years, exceeding 37 degrees from Sunday to Tuesday.
Some of the fires in southern Australia, many of which were sparked by dry lightning, produced pyrocumulonimbus clouds, which then spawned their own thunderstorms near the fire grounds, the organisation said.
Domensino said two fires were also burning in South Australia’s Mount Remarkable National Park.
Rowsley Fire Brigade working in gusty conditions on Tuesday.Credit: Chloe FitzPatrick
Smoke haze was visible in Melbourne’s CBD on Wednesday afternoon, though the EPA rated the air quality as “fair” to “good” in most parts of the state.
State Control Centre spokesman Luke Heagerty said smoke “is always a risk when we see fires of the size that we’ve got in both states”.
“Your nose is an excellent smoke detector, so if you can smell smoke, take the necessary precautions to protect your health,” he said.
“You can assess the air quality near you via the EPA website, and wherever possible, reduce your exposure to smoke and protect your health.”
While three fires in the Grampians have now merged, the southern flank has so far run into land that has already burned.
The SCC confirmed on Wednesday that a 46,000-hectare fire burning out of control in the park’s south-west had reached the edge of an uncontained 9000-hectare fire directly to the north.
The southern fire had also reached the edge of a 77,000-hectare fire, which began in the park’s south-east in mid-December.
Earlier, Heagerty said the main concern for fire crews was protecting an unburnt stretch of land west of Halls Gap, which was close to several towns.
“The main concern ... because they have joined, is just closing up that gap.”
Heagerty said communities around the Grampians hamlet of Wartook could be at risk in coming days as the temperature rises again.
An SCC spokesperson said crews were back burning between the Grampians fires to reduce the fuel load.
Grazier Brett Monaghan last week quickly moved more than 400 sheep from his property at Brimpaen, north-west of the Grampians, over fears the northern Grampians fire would hit his property, and he said he was prepared to do it again.
“I don’t think anybody’s completely relaxed at this point,” he said. “I think everybody’s still looking at the mountains every couple hours just to make sure that the smoke’s a long way away.
“Depending on the wind, anything could happen.”
‘Fingers of fire’ in Little Desert
Heagerty said erratic winds over the 90,000-hectare fire at Little Desert National Park near the South Australian border brought “fingers of fire” stretching northwards towards the town of Kaniva overnight on Tuesday, igniting a separate fire in the national park’s west.
“We have been having success limiting that fire once it moves to private property,” he said.
Heagerty said more favourable firefighting conditions were expected over the coming days.
Altogether, more than 2260 square kilometres of land have been burnt across Victoria this summer.
By comparison, the Black Summer fires of 2019-20 swept across more than 15,000 square kilometres of public and private land statewide.
With AAP
Get alerts on breaking news as happens. Sign up for our Breaking News Alert.