People missing and properties lost as fire engulfs region
Multiple houses and a school have been lost as out-of-control bushfires burn in Victoria while three people are unaccounted for under catastrophic hot and windy conditions.
Three people are missing in central Victoria and many properties have been destroyed as out-of-control bushfires escalate in catastrophic hot and windy conditions.
There are dozens of fires statewide, including a concerning blaze around the town of Longwood putting thousands of residents under threat, with conditions described as one of the most dangerous bushfire days the state has seen in years
A major heatwave has swept across Australia’s southeast, with temperatures forecast to reach 43C in Melbourne and up to 47C in parts of inland Victoria on Friday.
Properties have been lost in Longwood and the nearby town of Ruffy, including a destroyed school, while a separate fire in the border town of Walwa has badly damages a pine tree plantation.
Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Bob Hill said three people, including a child, advised to shelter in their property in Longwood East were unaccounted for.
“The risks are so high they needed to take shelter, it was too late for them to leave,” he said.
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“Later that afternoon, those same fire service representatives attended to see their house … had been completely destroyed.”‘
Wind gusts of up to 90 km/h and a severe thunderstorm risk could cause erratic fire behaviour.
“Any fires in our landscape today … will be uncontrollable, unpredictable and will be very fast moving,” Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said.
“If you’re in a bushfire prone area … if you haven’t left already, if you don’t leave now, it could result in your life being lost.”
Some 40 fires had been reported on Friday morning, with 30 still active at 10.30am.
Ruffy-based Country Fire Authority captain George Noye gave a grim assessment of his town, with 10 properties destroyed including the school.
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He said a member of his crew was in hospital with third-degree burns to his hands.
“It’s like a bomb has gone off. We got smashed by the fire spots,” Mr Noye told AAP.
Fire crews are continuing to attack two major out-of-control blazes, with the Longwood fire razing more than 35,000 hectares while flames near Walwa and Mount Lawson along the Victoria-NSW border have burnt over 17,000 hectares.
The Walwa and Mount Lawson fire is not expected to be contained for weeks.
Thirty new fires were sparked overnight after at least 10,000 lightning strikes were recorded in the state’s east.
Strong winds could also ground the firefighting air fleet.
“It’s every chance at some point the aircraft may not be able to fly,” CFA chief Jason Heffernan said.
“We can expect if a fire takes hold, and we see the fire spread the way they’re going, they’re going to be uncontrollable. They’re going to be unstoppable.”
Thousands of people across the state are also without power, including in fire-affected areas.
Premier Jacinta Allan asked Victorians to follow emergency advice and evacuate properties where necessary.
“Today represents one of the most dangerous fire days that this state has experienced in years,” she said.
Strong winds could ground the firefighting air fleet. Photo: AAP
–AAP
