Cool change slows Grampians bushfire in Victoria as NSW braces for windy day of extreme fire danger
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Temperatures plunged overnight in Victoria’s west as gusty winds swept over blazes that have scorched more than 70,000 hectares of bushland. A cool change has eased conditions for firefighters battling an out-of-control blaze in Victoria’s Grampians following the worst bushfire conditions since 2019’s Black Summer.
Temperatures plunged on Thursday as gusty westerly winds swept over the blazes in the state’s west that have raged for more than a week and scorched more than 70,000 hectares of bushland. Authorities issued a flurry of warnings to evacuate or seek shelter as the afternoon wind change took hold and fanned the flames in unpredictable directions.
The cool change had since slowed the spread of the fires as temperatures plunged, humidity rose and a small amount of rain fell, the Victoria State Control Centre spokesman Luke Hegarty said. However, six emergency warnings remained in place as of 3am (AEDT) Friday.
Hegarty said in a late-night update that although authorities expected raging blazes to ease, “we are not yet out of the woods with these fires”. The update came after authorities warned homes were likely to be destroyed by the blaze as Victoria faced the worst bushfire conditions since Black Summer, with flames expected to rage for weeks.
The Grampians fire was significant and was likely to burn for weeks even with 600 personnel on the ground fighting it, Emergency Management commissioner Rick Nugent said. “(It is) very difficult terrain and very dry in there. The conditions are such that it will be extremely difficult to put out,” he said.
