fires

[Keith Webb]

This article is in this morning's Melbourne "Age" newspaper:



"Victoria is bracing for a day of severe fire danger today as temperatures soar to 43 degrees in Melbourne and hotter elsewhere, and firefighters continue to battle blazes across the state.

The Country Fire Authority has declared today its first statewide total fire ban day for the summer, with high winds forecast.

"Under these conditions, a fire that gets going will spread very quickly," CFA spokesman Alex Toomey said. "We're expecting extreme fire behaviour."

The Department of Sustainability and Environment has urged people in high-risk fire areas to make early decisions on whether to stay and defend their homes or evacuate quickly.

The ban follows a day of furious fires across the state, which destroyed 8500 hectares. There was also distress at the Australian Open tennis tournament, with many fans succumbing to extreme heat.

Melbourne's temperature peaked at 40.2 degrees.

Fire came within two kilometres of the hamlet of Moondarra and the township of Erica, in Gippsland, yesterday before changing direction.

The department said the blaze, which was spread over 3500 hectares early last night, was expected to continue burning in a southerly direction towards Yallourn North and Tanjil.

The CFA issued a smoke and ember alert for residents at Jacobs Creek and Old Coach roads, near Erica, in the foothills of Mount Baw Baw.

Elsewhere in the state, residents around Steiglitz, 90 minutes' drive west of Melbourne, had their properties threatened by a blaze travelling south-west, with the CFA warning that smoke and embers would reach their properties.

At Yallakar, 18 kilometres south-west of Edenhope, in the state's south-west, fire burnt through more than 4100 hectares of native bush and grassland before being contained.

Near the Grampians, the Borough Huts and Jimmy Creek camping grounds were closed as fire burned 15 kilometres south of Halls Gap, in the eastern area of the Grampians National Park.

Communities adjoining the fire area, including those at Halls Gap, Glenthompson, Dunkeld and Mirrranatwa, have been advised to activate their bushfire plans today.

The department has spoken to interstate fire teams about asking for support.

Yesterday's heatwave forced the cancellation of horse races at Stony Creek, as well as in Adelaide, which has now had four consecutive days of maximum temperatures above 40 — the first time since 1908."