Premier warns fire ‘danger not over by a long shot’ as towns brace for return
Dozens of American and Canadian are relieving exhausted Victorian firefighters across the state, as towns in Victoria’s northeast brace for the fire threat to return as a “spike day” looms on Friday.
VIC News
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Additional overseas fire crews will today join firefighters battling bushfires across Victoria.
Seventy firefighters from the United States and Canada will bolster firefighting teams from today, joining 41 American firefighters already on the ground.
They will help strengthen firefighting teams and provide relief to weary firefighters who have battled mammoth blazes for days on end.
No emergency warnings were in place on Wednesday morning, but authorities warn conditions will likely worsen tomorrow and Friday as temperatures rise.
Meanwhile, the smoky haze that choked the city and surrounds since Monday has lifted.
The Environment Protection Authority is reporting air quality in Melbourne is currently “good”.
Air quality in Gippsland towns such as Traralgon and Yinnar has also improved.
FIRE ‘DANGER NOT OVER BY A LONG SHOT’
Towns in Victoria’s northeast hit by fires last week are bracing for the threat to return as the temperature soars and wind whips up on Friday.
Walwa, Tintaldra, Towong, Corryong, Biggara and the NSW town of Greg Greg have been named as those at greatest risk.
About 320 firefighters are on the ground around the Upper Murray, with containment lines strengthened on Tuesday ahead of a “spike day” on Friday.
Fires near the Victorian and NSW border are now less than 10km apart and threatening to combine into a mega-blaze, which could spark higher and more intensive flames, as well as throw off spot fires at the junction point.
In other parts of the state:
• Thirteen “watch and act” messages remained in place last night as 14 fires burned;
• About 200 people were evacuated from Mallacoota on the HMAS Choules;
• More than 1300 livestock were confirmed dead with more than 3500 “missing”; and
• Melbourne was expected to be blanketed in smoke from East Gippsland on Thursday.
Emergency Management commissioner Andrew Crisp warned that East Gippsland and the state’s northeast were “tinder dry”.
Omeo, Swifts Creek and Tambo Crossing will be on high alert as alpine blazes threaten to run south.
“We need to remain vigilant across the whole state,” Mr Crisp said.
Premier Daniel Andrews told Victorians that the danger was “not over by a long shot”.
Dozens of CFA teams carried out controlled burns in the northeast on Tuesday, including in the Berringama Pine Plantation, west of Corryong.
The burns will continue on Wednesday. The temperature in the area is tipped to reach the high 30s tomorrow and be in the 40s on Friday.
Wodonga incident controller Jon Rofe said that towns threatened last week, including Walwa, Corryong and Towong, could be threatened again.
“If the fire does happen to run on Friday, it could push fire into some of these areas,” he said. “It could also cause embers to land on these areas. Embers could also pose a significant risk to property.
“We have a large number of on-ground firefighters and waterbombing aircraft available to us, assuming that the aircraft can actually fly given the smoke conditions.”
Walwa vet Dave Hall said fires last week “lit up like matches and went berserk”, sparing most of the town but tearing through farm land.
Dr Hall said only about 10 per cent of the 180 residents remained in the “resilient” town.
“The CFA, the guys, the organisation have all just been astounding,” he said. “One minute the local captain here is saying ‘be prepared for tomorrow, it might be just us’.
“Then the next thing, eight trucks turn up. It’s phenomenal, especially considering the fires are happening everywhere.”
A fire across the border in NSW was also bearing down on Tumbarumba. Homes have already been lost.
Graders have run around town to strengthen fire breaks and “mini dams” have been dug in the depleted Tumbarumba Creek after firefighters struggled to efficiently suck out water last week.
Peter Marshall, who evacuated with his wife Ria on New Year’s Day, returned on Tuesday with a delivery of face masks and dog and cat food.
“They are furiously working to cut in containment lines and be prepared in the hope of stopping the fire reaching the town,” he said.
“It is a matter of time — not if — that the fire threatens the town.”
New federal bushfire recovery chief Andrew Colvin has promised to “hit the ground running” alongside Victorian recovery head Ken Lay.
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“We don’t want a cigarette paper between us in terms of what we are trying to do, what we are trying to deliver,” Mr Colvin said.
World leaders, including US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have contacted Prime Minister Scott Morrison to offer support.
Mr Morrison on Tuesday attended the funeral of Andrew O’Dwyer, one of the volunteer firefighters killed in NSW.
He then flew with his wife Jenny to Albury to convey his condolences to the family of Sam McPaul, another young volunteer killed on duty.