The Victorian premier warned that the state faced “dangerous and difficult” hours as a wind change impacted bushfires across the state, with three people still unaccounted for and properties destroyed.
On Friday evening, Jacinta Allan called on Victorians to follow emergency advice as “fires continue to unfold, right across the state”.
“The next few hours are going to be the most difficult and dangerous conditions as the weather changes, the wind changes, night falls,” she told Nine News.
“Now is the time to stay tuned to local radio, have the VicEmergency app, stay connected to family and loved ones, because we know that is the most effective way to support the work of our firefighters.”
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David Nugent from State Control Centre said a forecast north-westerly wind change began to pass through the state on Friday afternoon, fuelling a “significant” grass fire in Natimuk, about 25km west Horsham, where the temperature soared to 43C.
“With these hot temperatures and the winds, it makes it really difficult for our firefighters,” Nugent told ABC Radio.
A grassfire at Streatham was impacting Skipton about 50km west of Ballarat on Friday evening, while another bushfire which broke out in Bamganie was impacting Meredith, an area best known for its eponymous music festival.
Closer to Melbourne, a grassfire near Avalon College was brought under control. Each of these fires triggered emergency warnings.
Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster, Morgan Pumper, said winds could reach up to 125km/h across several parts of the state.
Three people unaccounted for after ‘catastrophic’ fires in Victoria – video
“When we mix it with the heat that we have and the fires in the landscape, it’s not going to be a good thing,” she told ABC Radio.
However, the BoM issued an update at 10.50pm on Friday night in which it said strong winds were clearing ahead of a cool change moving from west to east across the state.
“Conditions have eased across the west and central parts of the of the state this evening,” the update said, “but the risk of damaging wind gusts is likely to persist over the alpine peaks until Saturday morning.”
The bureau also issued a wind update at 1.42am in which it warned about gale-force winds along the west coast, central coast and central Gippsland coast areas.
The Longwood bushfire in central Victoria continued to burn out of control on Friday afternoon, with three people – a man, woman and child – in Longwood East unaccounted for on Friday afternoon.
The bushfire burning at Longwood overnight. Photograph: Tatong CFA
“We’re really hopeful that we [are] able to locate those three individuals,” Nugent said.
Earlier, the Victoria police deputy commissioner Bob Hill said firefighters had spoken to the trio on Thursday morning and warned it was too late to leave the area. When crews returned later that afternoon, the house they had been standing in front of had been “completely destroyed”.
The blaze has destroyed community and residential properties in the town of Ruffy, about 175km north of Melbourne.
Burnt-out buildings in the township of Ruffy. Photograph: George Noye
Felicity Sloman, the community safety officer for the Ruffy Country Fire Authority, said at least 20 homes had been lost in the town, located in the Strathbogie Ranges. A Ruffy CFA firefighter was also hospitalised with third-degree burns to his hands.
“The town’s been impacted severely,” captain George Noye told ABC Radio.
“The main street looks like a bomb’s gone off.”
Another volunteer firefighter, Darryl Otzen, said his property in Ruffy was destroyed as he was out battling the blaze. He feared there was “nothing left” of the town.
“It’s a bit shit when you’ve been out for two-and-a-half days and you come back on the truck and drive past what used to be your house,” Otzen said.
Noye said the fire had been “absolutely devastating” and that there wasn’t much firefighters could do in the conditions.
“We’ve been through fire before but this is the first time we’ve been fully hit with the fire front,” he said.
“We did our best. Thankfully we’re all alive.”
Chris McDermott, a farmer from the area, said he had managed to save two houses on his property but his brothers-in-law, who live on either side of him, weren’t as lucky.
He said one brother-in-law lost “everything” – including his home, shed, tractor and cars. The other lost shearing and hay sheds.
“Both of those brother-in-laws have lost stock too,” McDermott said.
There were multiple emergency warnings related to fires across the state on Friday afternoon.
Residents in towns affected by the Black Saturday fires were being told to evacuate on Friday. An alert issued by VicEmergency about 5pm included the towns of Buxton and Marysville, devastated by the 2009 fires.
The warning advised a wind change was expected around 8pm, which would cause the fire to change direction to the north-east. “Conditions will become very dangerous and unpredictable,” it said.
More than 70,000 properties were without power across the state as at 4.30pm on Friday, due to several reasons, including strong winds and lightning.
In the north-east, a bushfire burning about 25km west of Walwa also prompted evacuation warnings for residents surrounding the town of Corryong on the border of NSW on Friday evening.
The fire had burned through 20,000 hectares of land as of Friday morning and was so fierce it generated its own weather system, including lightning and thunder.
Emergency management commissioner, Tim Wiebusch, said this included 12,000 to 16,000 hectares of well-matured pine plantation.
“But at this stage, there have not been any property losses reported ” he said.
The chief fire officer for Forest Fire Management Victoria, Chris Hardman, said storms had also ignited new fires in the alpine region, central and east Gippsland.
Wiebusch, said the severe to extreme heatwave combined with damaging winds and storms had led to a “catastrophic” fire risk across four regions – north central, northern country, south west and Wimmera.
It was the first time such a warning had been issued since the black summer fires of 2019-20, with “extreme” conditions across the rest of the state.
Allan said on Friday it was “not courageous” to stay and defend property in the conditions.
Burnt-out buildings in the township of Ruffy. Photograph: George Noye
“You will not win simply against the fires of these magnitudes,” she said.
Allan confirmed emergency relief payments would be made available for residents in the local government areas of Strathbogie, Towong, Mansfield and Murrindindi affected by fires, after discussions with the commonwealth government. She said the payments would be extended to other LGAs.
