Grampians fire: embers spotting up to 3km out of forest

CFA volunteer firefighters are scrambling to put out grass fires, caused by embers flying out of the Grampians National Park.

CFA volunteers are flat out today, extinguishing fires sparked by embers blowing up to 3kms out of the Grampians’ forest and into surrounding paddocks to the east and south of the national park.

Serra group office Simon Armytage said: “We’re trying to hold it in the mountains and it’s broken out four times.”

Each time CFA volunteers have managed to quickly extinguish each grass fire.

Mr Armytage said a 24km/h wind was driving embers off fires up on Mount Abrupt and Mount Sturgeon, up to 3kms into paddocks to the south.

“We’re staying in front of it and hope with the wind change it will burn back (on itself),” he said.

CFA and Forest Fire Management Victoria crews’ greatest concern was that the fire would break out to the east at about 2pm, when the BOM predicted the wind will shift from the north-northwest to the west.

Another group officer, Malcolm Nicholson, said they were being bombarded with embers, but were managing to keep on top of spot fires, given the numerb of appliances they had at hand.

“We’re catching them as they come out,” Mr Nicholson said.

There has been unconfirmed property losses and also six sheep have been killed in the Grampians fires.

Lowan MP Emma Kealy said Glenthompson at the south of the Grampians was an area of concern.

The Glenelg Highway was closed between Glenthompson and Wickliffe.

“We’ve had 10 days of this fire and the CFA crews and other emergency service crews have been working so hard to put in fire breaks and fuel reduction burns in preparation for today,” she said.

“They’ve got the crews on the ground, in the right spot, and have been able to pull up any fires that have broken out.

“We’ve just got to watch the weather conditions over the coming 24 hours.”

Temperatures and winds built in the fire zone before a cool change arrived around 3.15pm.

It was 31.7C at 10.10am and northerly winds were gusting up to 40km/h at the Stawell weather station.

The temperature had increased to 35.2C at Stawell at 1.20pm with wind gusts of 46km/h out of the north-northwest.

Following the change, the temperature at Stawell was 31.9C at 4pm.

At Hamilton, on the western side of the Grampians, the temperature was 32.8C with winds out of the north gusting to 56km/h.

The cool change began sweeping through the Wimmera-Mallee from 3pm.

The temperature at Nhill dropped from 34.7C at 2.30pm to 28.1C at 3.50pm.

Outside of the fire zone it was already 34.7C at Mildura at 10am before increasing to 37.9C at 1pm.

Farmers and rural communities right along the eastern edge of the Grampians, from Halls Gap in the north to Pomonal, Moyston and south to Willaura, Dunkeld and Wickliffe have been told to enact their fire survival plans.

Emergency Management Victoria has issued a watch and act warning for these communities, which states “if you have time, check your neighbours to see if they are monitoring conditions and protect yourself and your family.

“If your plan is to leave, leave early.”

Sentinel satellite image of the Grampians on December 25

Sentinel satellite image of the Grampians' fires on December 20.

CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said soaring temperatures in the mid 40s across the state on Boxing Day combined with strong winds of 70-80km/h gusting to 100km/h in elevated areas.

“There are two major concerns on Thursday – the fires already burning in the landscape, and any new fires that start as a result of the extreme fire risk,” he said.

“Thursday’s conditions will make it difficult for firefighters to suppress a fire should one start.

“The fire at the Grampians National Park hasn’t been contained and is likely to spread further under the forecast conditions on 26 December.”

THE GRAMPIANS RECENT FIRE HISTORY.

2006, January 19: Lightning started the Mt Lubra fire, which burnt out 127,000ha, equal to 47 per cent of the Grampians National Park, with the loss of three lives, 41 houses, 65,598 livestock, plus fencing and 231 farm sheds and other out buildings.

2013, February 14: Three fires merged to burn out 35,875ha.

2014, January 15: The northern Grampians bushfire complex burns through 55,100ha.

2024, February: Two fires, one at Mt Stapylton and another at Lake Bellfield spread into the Pomonal area, destroying 24 homes, three businesses and 23 outbuildings.

2024, December 18: The fire first started near Yarram Gap Road, following a series of lightning strikes. From there it spread to 55,000ha, engulfing about a third of the 167,000ha national park.

Note: Since 2006 fires have burnt 85 per cent of the Grampians National Park.