State of disaster declared across Victoria as fires continue

A state of disaster has been declared across large parts of Victoria, including the Colac Otway and Golden Plains shires, as firefighters continue to battle major blazes across the state.

Premier Jacinta Allan made the announcement, which encompasses 18 local government areas and one alpine resort, in the early hours of Saturday.

“This declaration gives our authorities extra powers to confront an emergency of extraordinary scale and dangers,” she said.

“Tonight, we have reached that level of danger.”

The declaration allows authorities to order evacuations, control movement through areas and possess private property to respond to the disaster.

“This does not change specific advice currently in place for anyone in fire-affected areas,” Allan said.

“But it sends a clear message to those who have been advised to leave: if you can, you must.”

 

 

It follows extreme conditions across the state on Friday, with temperatures above 40C, strong and gusty winds, and erratic fire behaviour making suppression efforts difficult for emergency services.

A grassfire near Meredith has burned more than 2,000 hectares, including within the Meredith State Forest. About 75 firefighting vehicles, supported by aerial firefighting aircraft, were deployed to the blaze, with the effort continuing into the night.

Further west, Ballarat and its surrounding towns were subject to emergency warnings yesterday as two major fires burned through the region, prompting warnings for residents to prepare to leave or take shelter.

Near Bendigo, winds challenged authorities with erratic fire conditions as they worked to control a blaze in Harcourt and Ravenswood. Residents in nearby communities were evacuated as the fire spread.

Incident controller Michael Masters, speaking from the Bendigo Incident Control Centre yesterday, said the full impact of the fire was still being assessed.

“We still do not know the full impact of the fire. We are aware houses and primary places of residence have been destroyed by the fire,” he said.

He confirmed reports there has been at least one fatality as a result of the fire.

 

 

In the Geelong region, at least two homes were destroyed in Leopold after a structure fire spread rapidly between neighbouring properties in Rebecca Drive.

Meanwhile, an out-of-control grassfire along Avalon Road was escalated to emergency level, with residents in Avalon, Corio and Lara told it was too late to leave and advised to take shelter as the fire travelled towards Avalon College.

Emergency services were able to quickly bring the fire under control.

By 10pm, further fires, believed to have been sparked by lightning, had ignited across the south-west, including around Kennedys Creek, Gellibrand and Forest. Several remain elevated to Watch and Act level, with fires burning in the Otway Ranges in hard-to-reach terrain.

As conditions worsened throughout the day, community support measures were activated across the region.

The Geelong Showgrounds was among the areas of refuge offered to animals impacted by the fires, while the City of Greater Geelong established an emergency camping area at Barwon Valley Park in Belmont for displaced holidaymakers.

A total fire ban has been extended into Saturday, meaning no fires are allowed to be lit in the open air or remain alight.

Fire authorities continue to urge residents in affected and at-risk areas to monitor warnings closely and follow advice. Head to emergency.vic.gov.au