Worst fire danger since Black Saturday

Victoria was bracing for a day of danger on Tuesday, with ‘catastrophic’ and ‘extreme’ fire warnings.

Residents of Halls Gap, the main tourism hub of Victoria’s Grampians National Park, and the nearby townships of Bellfield and Pomonal, were forced to shelter from a bushfire after they were warned it was too dangerous to leave.

The firefront erupted in the far west of the state amid widespread catastrophic and extreme fire warnings for large parts of Victoria as the state endured a scorching and windy Tuesday.

“It is now too late to leave, take shelter now. The situation is dynamic, listen to firefighters on the ground,” Country Fire Authority Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said.

“By far the best advice for residents in those areas if you haven’t left is to take shelter in your homes and to prepare yourself for ember and any other potential fire impact.” Mr Heffernan urged anyone who was out in the open and couldn’t seek shelter to head to a bushfire place of last resort.

Homes in the towns were under threat, Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent confirmed.

“We have seen a very challenging day today with very hot and windy conditions across the state,” Mr Nugent said

Another fire nearby was also causing considerable concern, with residents of Dadswells Bridge, Roses Gap, Ledcourt and Wartook told to leave immediately.

Sixteen firefighting aircraft were dispatched to the northern end of the Grampians National Park on Tuesday afternoon to try and control the twin blazes, according to a Vic Emergency spokesperson.

Bushfire - Emergency Warning for Grampians National Park, Bellfield and Pomonal. You should Shelter Indoors Now. For more info: https://t.co/Pk4taQntWW#vicfires

— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) February 13, 2024

Vic Emergency issued Emergency warnings for the areas near the two bushfires shortly after 2pm on Tuesday. Picture: Vic Emergency

The highly windy conditions were making fire crews’ attempts to control the blazes even more challenging.

Mr Heffernan said the high winds had created a “dynamic situation” where the direction of a fire could change at a moment’s notice.

Along with the fire warnings, a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for metropolitan Melbourne on Tuesday afternoon.

Residents of the state capital were warned to stay inside if conditions appeared dangerous, and to park their cars away from trees.

Victorian Fire Services had earlier issued a Catastrophic Fire Danger rating for the Wimmera district, the first time the highest alert level had been used since a new danger system was implemented in 2022.

“Tomorrow’s conditions will put you and your family’s lives at risk if a fire starts and takes hold,” Mr Heffernan said on Monday. 55 schools and education centres were also closed in the region, a Department of Education spokesperson confirmed.

The Central, Mallee and Northern Country districts were also under Extreme danger ratings.

Tuesday’s forecast was accompanied by a warning that the dire state of Victoria’s firefighting resources was putting lives at risk.

Tuesday was expected to be the worst day for fire danger in Victoria since the Black Summer bushfires.

“The situation is so catastrophic that, on a day-to-day basis [Fire Rescue Victoria] faces the current problem of being unable to keep critical frontline fire appliances on the road without faults and failures,” United Firefighters Union Victorian Branch Secretary Peter Marshall said. “This crisis is exacerbated on catastrophic fire risk/weather events.” Mr Marshall renewed his calls for increased funding to fix outdated and faulty fire engines. The UFU said that over half of the trucks in the FRV fleet “have passed their used-by date and continuously fail in operations”.

Tuesday was expected to be the worst day for fire danger since the Black Summer of 2019/20.

“Do not plan to defend your home on Catastrophic fire danger days – the safest place to be is away from high-risk areas such as campsites, parks and forests,” Mr Heffernan said.

CFA Chief Fire Officer Jason Heffernan urged residents of the Wimmera region to be prepared to leave their home at a moment’s notice.

“Catastrophic conditions make it difficult for firefighters to control fires should one start. Be prepared for fire, monitor conditions and know where to get information so you can make good decisions about your safety.”

“Don’t wait for an official warning before you leave, emergencies can start quickly and threaten lives and homes within minutes.”

A total fire ban was also imposed throughout Victoria on Tuesday, apart from in the North East district and the Gippsland region.

The maximum forecast for Melbourne on Tuesday was 37 degrees, with a top of 41 forecast in the northwestern city of Mildura.