Grampians residents told it’s not safe to return as fire continues

Firefighters are continuing to fight the 34,000-hectare blaze in the Grampians, northwest of Melbourne, with residents in Mafeking and Watgania warned to evacuate immediately.

North Hamilton Rural Fire Brigade members watch over a bushfire in the Grampians. Picture: North Hamilton Rural Fire Brigade/Facebook

An emergency warning has been issued for Mafeking and Watgania residents to evacuate immediately as the bushfire in the Grampians continues to cause concerns.

The CFA said on Sunday afternoon that weather conditions have changed and could affect the area.

It said that leaving immediately is the safest option, before the conditions become too dangerous.

Residents leaving should use the Dunkeld-Moyston Road and head towards Ararat or Stawell.

It comes after residents have been warned that it is still not safe to return to the other bushfire-affected areas in the Grampians region.

An “evacuate immediately” warning was issued to residents in Halls Gap and Bellfield on Saturday night.

More than 350 firefighters have worked to contain the fire, which is not yet under control and has burned through 34,000 hectares.

Temperatures are expected to increase, peaking on Boxing Day, prompting fears the danger from the fire could continue.

“Really hot temperatures coming in, temperatures of 40C-plus, strong, hot northerly winds, and then a blustery southwest change coming through later in the evening,” CFA deputy chief officer Garry Cook said.

The CFA has said that they are planning to use Sunday’s favourable conditions do as much work as they can.

“There is a little bit of variability in the weather, but generally we’re seeing kinder conditions,” said the State Control Centre’s Luke Heagerty.

“That may mean as the weather does change over the next couple of days, people may see some smoke both within the fire area, but we may see some drift across the state as well, as we saw on Friday.”

Residents have been urged to “watch and act” as bushfires continue raging across western areas of regional Victoria. Picture: Supplied

“So that’s going to be a really challenging day, not just because of the risk of the fire, but the fires we’ve already got in the landscape.”

Ararat Mayor Jo Armstrong told Sky News: “As we go right through the month of January, and potentially even into February we’ll still be seeing a fire threat and that’s incredibly concerning.”

She said that learning from the experience of a bushfire in February this year put residents “in good stead” to be prepared for this fire.

But it is “extraordinarily confrontational for people to be revisiting a similar situation to what they were facing just 10 months ago.”

More than 350 firefighters fought the blaze in the Grampians. Picture: North Hamilton Rural Fire Brigade/Facebook

Watch and act warnings remain in place for a large area near Ararat in Victoria’s west. Residents in Bornes Hill, Grampians region, Jimmy Creek, Mirranatwa and Victoria Valley have been warned to prepare to leave.

Lake Fyans, Pomonal, Barton, Jallukar, and Londonderry residents have been told to continue monitoring the conditions as they change.

Meanwhile residents in Bellfield, Bellfield Settlement, Flat Rock Crossing, Fyans Creek, Grampians Junction and Halls Gap are being warned that it is not safe to return.

Back burning operations are expected to continue as the CFA continues to fight for control of the bushfire.

A bushfire also continued in Bullengarook where 49 vehicles were responding, while a fire in The Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve had three vehicles responding.