Victorian bushfires: February 10, 2014

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That's it for updates from us for the live blog tonight. We will have the latest news from 5.30am.

Click here for futher stories from Monday's coverage.

There is also a photo gallery of images from our photographers in the sky and on the ground.

For overnight updates check the CFA's website, www.cfa.vic.gov.au, for the latest updates, or see the Twitter feed below.

Tweets from https://twitter.com/theage/fire-and-emergency

Stay safe.

 

Updated emergency warning for the Mickleham fire:

Emergency Warning issued by Country Fire Authority for Goldie, Goldie North, Tantaraboo, Willowmavin. 

There is an out-of-control grassfire travelling in a northerly direction from Kilmore-Lancefield Road towards High Camp.

This message also affects residents in the Old Lancefield Road, McHarrys Road and Mt William Road area of Goldie. 
 
The fire has crossed the Kilmore Lancefield Rd.  CFA is continuing to monitor fire and weather conditions. Firefighters are working to control the fire in your area. The fire is still not controlled.

 

 

 

 

Updated emergency warning for the Mickleham fire:

Emergency warning issued by Country Fire Authority for Forbes, Springfield. 

There is an out of control grassfire travelling in a north westerly direction towards Forbes and Springfield.

Spotfires and ember attacks are occurring.

 

Darren Gray on the damage caused by the Mickleham fire:

Deputy incident controller of the Mickleham fire, Mark Gunning, said mapping of the fire completed shortly before 6pm shows that the blaze has burnt about 18,000 hectares.

Mr Gunning said that assessments performed by CFA staff throughout the day confirmed that five houses had been destroyed by the fire. The five houses were all in the southern part of the fire in the Mickleham area, he said.

In addition to the destroyed homes, it is believed that other houses have been damaged by fire. CFA crews inside the fire perimeter assessing the damage from the large blaze had to leave the fire-ground themselves as conditions worsened in the afternoon. It is not yet known if the deteriorating conditions in the late afternoon and early evening have led to further damage or losses.

Mr Gunning also said: "This afternoon as temperatures rose and winds got gusty on the flanks of the fire, we had a break-away on the western side of the fire that burnt north-west of Mickleham. We also had significant fire activity in the Darraweit Guim area and also on the northern boundary of the fire, which really pushed fall-back lines."

Mr Gunning told Fairfax Media that numerous upgraded messages have been issued throughout the day, as fire conditions worsened. Winds were greater than predicted and fanning the fire's spread.

"It's posing some pretty significant challenges because of the country it's got itself into. It's a very large fire, and there's communities on all sides of it, because of its proximity to the metropolitan area," he said.

"As long as the fire is uncontained, it will pose threats. And our job will be to try and minimise those threats," he said.

Nick Toscano on the fraught situation in Kilmore:

"You hear that?" asks Tracey Dickson, as helicopters clatter and sirens wail beyond the rooftops. "That's how you know it's close."

Ms Dickson and her family we're told to evacuate shortly after 5.30pm after being informed their Kilmore housing estate was in the line of fire.

"We saw the smoke come over with the wind change ... It went probably 15 kilometres in a matter of 10 minutes.

"There are a lot of scared people."

Craig Kneebone said Kilmore residents were better prepared for the threat of fire since a near-miss on Black Saturday five years ago.

"Everyone's prepared now. We had a plan and we knew what to do."

 

More emergency warnings for the Mickleham fire, relating to Kilmore, Bylands and Chintin:

There is a fast-moving, out-of-control grassfire travelling in a northerly direction from Wallan (Pretty Sally) towards Bylands and Kilmore. 

There is an out-of-control grassfire travelling in a northerly direction from Daraweit Guim towards Kilmore and expected to impact in the next hour on the southern and eastern edge of the township.

Similarly, there is a fast-moving, out-of-control grassfire travelling in a northerly direction from south of Chintin towards Romsey Road, Joyces Road and Chintin Road and  surrounding areas. 

You are in danger, act now to protect yourself. The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately.

 

Darren Gray reports from Kilmore:

One Kilmore man, who declined to be named, said he had evacuated his house on the southern edge of town with his family.

The man said locals were receiving text messages, advising people to leave.

"It's starting to get a little bit too hairy around here," he says.

"We got told that if it can't be contained within 40-45 minutes it will be here. Looking at this - it's here," he says, as he looks to the smoke-filled sky above Kilmore.

"We just got told to leave. My dad's there, watering it down," he says, of his house.