Thousands of people are under threat from the blaze. Photo / NewsWire / Jason Edwards
Victorians under threat from a huge out-of-control bushfire have been told it is too late to leave as authorities plead for people to take shelter or risk death.
The fire at Longwood, about 150km north of Melbourne, has been raging at emergency level since Wednesday night and is showing no signs of easing as temperatures and winds ramp up.
Authorities have warned conditions in the area will be “catastrophic” today, with reports the state is facing its worst fire threat since the Black Summer fires in 2019 and 2020.
A take shelter warning is in place for those closest to the blaze in: Caveat, Creightons Creek, Dropmore, Gobur, Gooram, Highlands, Kanumbra, Kelvin View, Locksley, Longwood, Longwood East, Ruffy, Strathbogie, Tarcombe, Terip Terip and Upton Hill.
“You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive,” the warning reads.
“The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately. It is too late to leave.”
People south and west of the fire have been told to leave immediately if they have not already done so.
Residents in the following towns have been told to flee: Cathkin, Caveat, Ghin Ghin, Highlands, Kanumbra, Killingworth, Koriella, Limestone, Molesworth, Whanregarwen, Yarck, Ancona, Fawcett, Gooram, Merton, Strathbogie, Strathbogie South and Woodfield.
“Leaving immediately is the safest option, before conditions become too dangerous,” the warning reads.
“Emergency services may not be able to help you if you decide to stay.”
Emergency relief centres are open at the Seymour Sports and Aquatics Centre and the Mansfield Youth Centre.
Vic Emergency is warning the fire behaviour is expected to increase during the day, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning temperatures could reach 43C with damaging winds that could spread the flames.
Catastrophic fire danger warnings are in place across North Central, Northern Country, South West and Wimmera, while extreme warnings are in place for Central, East Gippsland, Mallee, North East and West and South Gippsland.
“That includes the outer Melbourne area and that’s been created by the heatwave conditions,” Bureau meteorologist Sarah Scully said.
“We’ve got maximum temperatures across the Melbourne suburbs of 43 to 45 degrees, but widespread 45 to high 40s across both Victoria and south eastern parts of South Australia.”
Firefighters have been working overnight to try to contain the blaze, which is burning across thousands of hectares.
“The Longwood fire did make another run last night, as anticipated,” Country Fire Authority chief officer Jason Heffernan told Sunrise this morning.
“Again, ground crews working very hard to try and stop that fire, but unfortunately, it is growing in size and will absolutely be a concern for fire authorities today with the weather conditions that we are expecting.”
Another blaze is burning in the Mt Lawson State Park, near Wodonga on the Victoria-NSW border, with residents being told to leave immediately before conditions become too dangerous.
Residents in the following towns have been told to leave: Bungil, Walwa, Cudgewa, Koetong, Colac Colac, Nariel Valley and surrounds.
The out-of-control blaze is burning in a south-southeasterly direction, with residents being urged to go to relief centres at the Upper Murray Event Centre at the Corryong Football Oval and Tallangatta Memorial Hall.
Emergency Services Minister Vicki Ward issued a blunt warning on Thursday: “Catastrophic means catastrophe.
“Victoria is one of the most bushfire-prone areas in the world,” she said.
“We are talking [on Friday] of uncontrollable, unpredictable bushfires with a real risk of loss – loss of life and property.”
Authorities have warned all week that conditions would be most dangerous today, when heatwave conditions will be at their worst and wind gusts could reach 100km/h.
There are also fears that Thursday’s fire-generated thunderstorms could be repeated today, with lightning bands potentially starting further blazes.
“There’s a severe thunderstorm risk with damaging wind gusts that can cause erratic fire behaviour as those gusts hit the ground and make the wind direction very difficult to predict,” Scully said.
“So with these elevated fire dangers, we have seen now a number of days of extreme heat, or heatwave conditions, that have dried the landscape considerably as well that dry lightning from those elevated thunderstorms could ignite new fires.
“If they get going, those fires are going to spread quickly and be difficult to control.”
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