Total Fire Ban declared for South West fire district

THE CFA has announced a Total Fire Ban (TFB) will be in place for the municipalities in the South West and Wimmera fire districts in Victoria tomorrow (Saturday, January 4).

Hot, dry and windy conditions are expected to affect the west and south-west of the state tomorrow ahead of a south westerly wind change late tomorrow into Sunday morning.

The South West fire district includes the Colac Otway, Warrnambool, Corangamite and Glenelg municipalities.

A TFB means no fire can be lit in the open air or allowed to remain alight from 12.01am to 11.59pm on that day.

CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said the TFB had been declared due to the heightened fire risk and hot temperatures in the late 30s reaching the mid 40s in parts of the state.

“Tomorrow’s conditions in the west and southwest will make it difficult for firefighters to suppress a fire should one start,” Mr Heffernan said.

“People travelling throughout the state during these summer holidays also need to remain alert and in tune with current fire danger ratings and warnings via the VicEmergency website or app and your emergency broadcasters.

“Follow the strict conditions associated with the Total Fire Ban declaration and understand the how the increased fire risk will impact you and ensure your fire plan covers all possible contingencies.”

Grampians fire incident controller Jon Rofe said that fire had not been declared contained yet, and could spread further with tomorrow’s increased weather conditions.

“However, if it remains within current containment lines and there’s no significant fire activity over the weekend, we are looking to re-open Halls Gap to businesses and visitors during the next week.

“The re-opening of non-fire affected sections of the Grampians National Park will be assessed at the same time.”

Victorians can find out if it is a TFB at cfa.vic.gov.au, where it is usually published by 5pm the day before a TFB.

For more information on what you can and cannot do during a TFB, head to the Can I or Can’t I page on the CFA website.

Victorians should also make sure they have access to more than one source of information. They include: