Gippsland fires could burn for ‘months’
Emergency services have warned that fires currently burning out of control across Gippsland could burn for months and that the current situation is “just the beginning” to a “long, hot dry summer”.
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Fire crews are on high alert with Gippsland blazes set to flare amid soaring temperatures from Wednesday.
All Victorian firefighters have returned from battling blazes in NSW as emergency services prepare for the threat of worsening conditions.
Ten fires are burning across Victoria, with three still out of control in Gippsland.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the “campaign fire” in Gippsland could burn for weeks or months, as a lack of moisture in the ground made it particularly difficult to control.
Flames ripped across more than 100,000 hectares of forest in East Gippsland as air quality slipped to dangerous levels at Marthavale–Barmouth Spur, Ensay, and W Tree.
For updates and emergency warnings, visit www.emergency.vic.gov.au
“When the weather heats up we need to have all the resources available to continue the fight in East Gippsland,” a State Control Centre (SCC) spokeswoman said.
“The fires are behaving in a way that is not usual — they’ve been given fuel to burn because there’s no moisture in the ground.”
The SCC was aiming to extinguish smaller fires in surrounding areas before temperatures raced towards 30C on Christmas Day.
But crews were most concerned about the rising mercury and lightening later in the week.
Temperatures are set to hit 40C in the north of the state from Thursday and through to the weekend, with dry lightening expected on Monday.
Widespread smoke over southern & eastern #Victoria today reducing visibility to 4km in places. Smoke from the #nswfires is affecting the NE, while fires in Gippsland & the SW are causing hazy conditions in the south https://t.co/QZATjAUSFj Check air quality info at @EPA_Victoria pic.twitter.com/5rKPlTL21E
— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) December 22, 2019
”Dynamic” conditions served as a worry for emergency workers as hot smoke whirling in from New South Wales was expected to hit Melbourne over the coming days.
“These conditions haven’t been experienced before … they’re dynamic and likely to change,” the SCC spokeswoman said.
While Victoria had not suffered any reported property loss, fires in NSW had razed more than 100 buildings at Balmoral and Dargan, and more than 500 buildings at SA’s Cudlee Creek, with much of the Adelaide Hills wine region affected.
Helena and Justin Cam lost their home of 20 years at Balmoral.
“When you have absolutely nothing you realise how important it is to have each other,” Ms Cam said.
“We have been invited to have Christmas with friends but I think this year we will just have it together.”
The family lost their home in the Green Wattle Creek fire on Saturday.
Rosemary Doyle watched her home of 13 years burn with her husband’s ashes trapped inside.
“It was the most traumatic thing I have ever been through,” she said.
“I didn’t even get my husband John’s ashes and he only died two years ago.”
In SA, almost a third of the Adelaide Hills region’s wine plantings were in the fire affected area.
The damage bill to the wine industry could hit $100 million.
South Australian Wine Industry Association chief executive Brian Smedley said, considering the conditions, it was ‘pretty amazing’ most of the cellar door infrastructure was still standing.
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All fire affected states are preparing for worsening weather conditions through the week.
Fifteen Victorian fire trucks were left in Sydney for returning firefighters.
But the State Control Centre confirmed local fireys would not go back to NSW until after the new year.