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Firefighters will battle two uncontrolled fires into the night as an emergency alert remains active south of Ballarat and a large bushfire near Beaufort continues to rage.
Photos from the fire ground near Beaufort captured today.Credit: Jason South
The alert zone urging residents to “shelter indoors now” has been reduced in size at Dereel as crews managed to slow the grass fire’s rapid spread after the alarm was first raised after 6pm tonight.
But, it is still moving east toward Mount Mercer where residents have been told to stay near shelter in case conditions suddenly change.
The Dereel fire appeared to quickly move close to properties on the Ballarat-Colac Road, but emergency services have not yet confirmed any property losses. However, some images posted on the Facebook pages of firefighters from the scene appear to show corrugated iron caught among the flames.
Near Beaufort, the recently updated VicEmergency alert reports light rain has fallen in the area, but warns the bushfire is still dangerous and actively burning out of control.
“Firefighters continue to work on the fire’s edge,” the alert says.
“Do not return to your home until a safe to return notification is issued.”
In Melbourne, the temperature had fallen to 25 degrees near the CBD at 10pm and a south-westerly wind had arrived.
In Mildura, the mercury is still 32.7 degrees – down from 40 degrees at 7.30pm.
At Ben Nevis, a weather station in the Bayindeen fire zone, the temperature was 22.2 degrees at 10pm. Winds were now coming from the west and have slowed substantially to about 15 km/h.
Fire danger ratings are set to ease tomorrow, but some Victorians will have a restless night wondering what the damage is like near their properties.
Thanks for your company today. Join us tomorrow as the state assesses the damage.
Stay safe.
Warnings for the fast-moving grass fire at Dereel will be downgraded soon, a spokesperson for Victoria’s emergency management centre says.
Luke Heagerty, from the State Control Centre, told ABC Wimmera radio just after 9.30pm that the fire to Ballarat’s south was still burning, but the situation was now “pretty positive”.
“We think that we’ve managed to slow the spread of this fire, and we’re just working on updating the warnings at the moment,” Heagerty said.
“So what we’re hoping to do is reduce the overall warning area. And [we’re] certainly anticipating [in] the next couple of hours, we’ll see that warning area both reduce in size and also the warning level be downgraded.”
The fire appears close to homes on the Colac-Ballarat Road and an emergency “shelter indoors now” warning is still active for the Dereel township and parts of Rokewood Junction and Corindhap.
But, Heagerty said the wind change had now reached Dereel and firefighters had contained it to a small area.
“It wouldn’t be much fun, in that sort of heat, as the fire was flaring up, to tackle it. So great work by those crews,” he said.
The State Control Centre spokesperson said water bombing aircraft had managed to take off and douse the fire before daylight ran out.
“It has been a day that could’ve been very challenging for us,” Heagerty said.
“And to have only had this one major fire break out is a credit to the community for heeding our advice and staying away from the fire risk areas and not generating any new fires for us.”
Sheep look for feed near Raglan in Victoria’s west today after fires tore through last week.Credit: Jason South
Today’s catastrophic bushfire weather in the Wimmera paired with a large existing blaze near Beaufort looked like an ominous combination as the sun rose today.
But, thankfully, so far, the Bayindeen fire has not got a foothold behind containment lines firefighters spent days preparing. Still, it burns out of control and emergency services are still urging caution.
Here’s how our colleagues at Nine News covered today:
Journalist Mimi Becker reported ten spot fires appeared close to Beaufort about 6pm, but firefighters have been quick to suppress them.
(Nine Entertainment also owns this masthead.)
Moments ago, a CFA brigade posted photos on social media that showed the Dereel fire just metres away from properties south of Ballarat.
The Newham CFA shared the images on Facebook and said they were from the Queanbeyan city fire brigade and the Lake George zone brigades who had travelled to Victoria to help amid catastrophic conditions.
“Very grateful to our interstate colleagues from NSW Rural Fire Service on the fire ground at Dereel, Victoria, under challenging conditions today,” the post says.
The cool change that first hit far south-western Victoria this afternoon is taking hours to reach Melbourne and appears to have only just made it to Ballarat, causing difficult conditions for firefighters tackling the fast-moving Dereel grass fire.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s latest recorded observation from the Ballarat Aerodrome showed the temperature was 28.8 degrees at 8.30pm, down almost five degrees from 33.3 degrees at 8.07pm.
In Melbourne, the mercury remained 34.4 degrees at Olympic Park close to the CBD at 8.30pm.
Fires continue to burn in the state’s west. The tool below can be used to see the direction the wind is now pushing the fire near Beaufort.
CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan has just given an update from the State Control Centre about the Dereel fire south of Ballarat that started tonight and quickly caused a shelter immediately notice to be issued.
Here’s every word he said on ABC television moments ago:
We’ve got eight aircraft and have just sent out some 2000 emergency alert text messages. We have a fire that’s just started there and is making its way south, and people have been advised to leave immediately.
Otherwise the Bayindeen fire has had activity throughout the day. In fact, it jumped containment lines a number of times, but thankfully fire crews on the ground were able to get on top of them very quickly and firefighters continue to hold back that fire, assisted by water bombing aircraft.
Today has been a challenging day. We’ve seen high 40 degree temperatures in the north-west of the state and across the Wimmera. And in fact, we’ve seen catastrophic conditions recorded in five of seven weather stations across the Wimmera and six of 13 weather stations across the south-west.
We’re still not out of it yet, and I do expect the next couple of hours will still bring challenges for firefighters, as that ... westerly wind comes through at about 80 kilometres an hour.
Back further west at the large Bayindeen fire, an updated advice message has been issued warning communities to the blaze’s east they may be threatened tonight as strong winds push the inferno from the west.
The message, issued at 8pm, is the first change to any alert covering the fire zone spanning 22,000 hectares for seven hours. Crews have managed to put out any spot fires that have jumped containment lines protecting townships so far, but the blaze is still burning out of control in thick bushland.
A helicopter battles the Bayindeen fire earlier this week.Credit: Forest Fire Management Victoria
The updated advice message is active for Beaufort, Brewster, Ercildoune, Glenbrae, Langi Kal Kal, Trawalla and Waterloo.
“Strong westerly winds have the potential to make fire fighting difficult,” the alert says.
“Aircraft, heavy machinery, and firefighters will be working in the area.”
Residents in this advice zone were told to leave when the State Control Centre issued a potential fire path map late yesterday.
“Anyone still in these areas should leave now,” tonight’s advice update says.
The Bayindeen-Rocky Road fire buring in bushland yesterday.Credit: Forest Fire Management Victoria
The Country Fire Authority has sent some firefighters from the major blaze near Beaufort to the fast-moving grass fire that started south of Ballarat at Dereel this evening.
Speaking on ABC Radio before the shelter immediately alert for Dereel was issued, Ballarat CFA incident controller Jarrod Hayes said it had been “a very testing day”.
He said the 22,000-hectare Bayindeen fire between Ararat and Beaufort in the Mount Cole State Forest had been mostly contained thanks to preparations in past days, although it was still burning uncontrolled in thick bushland.
Some minor spot fires had occurred near Beaufort, Raglan and south of Elmhurst, he added.
Forest Fire Management Victoria crews tackle the Bayindeen fire earlier this week.Credit: Forest Fire Management Victoria
“Our aircraft have been ‘Johnny-on-the-spot’ on those fires. And our firefighters are responding very aggressively to those breaches,” Haynes said.
“[I’m] getting positive reports, but the conditions are very challenging, so that could change very quickly.”
Crews fight the Bayindeen fire earlier this week.Credit: Forest Fire Management Victoria
Residents in the small town of Dereel have been told to shelter indoors immediately as it is too late to leave with a fast-moving grass fire bearing down.
The emergency warning, issued at 7.42pm, says it has also been issued for Corindhap and Rokewood Junction further south, but the alert zone itself appears to be centred on the small Dereel township, population 664 about 30 kilometres south of Ballarat.
“The grassfire is travelling in an easterly direction towards Mount Mercer,” the alert says.
“You are in danger, act now to protect yourself. It is too late to leave. The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately.
“Do not get in the car and drive. It is safer to stay where you are.”
The Colac-Ballarat Road has been closed. Satellite images show several properties are located along this thoroughfare close to the fire zone.
An evacuation centre has been opened and more communities have been told to leave now as fast-moving grass fire at Dereel, south of Ballarat, burns out of control.
A watch and act warning was issued for Rokewood, Enfield and Mount Mercer at 7.21pm. Dereel and Corindhap are already under an emergency warning.
“This grassfire is travelling from Dereel in a south-easterly direction towards Corindhap and Rokewood,” the updated alert says.
“A wind change is expected at approximately 7.30pm, which will see the fire change in a westerly direction toward Mt Mercer.”
A relief centre is open at Selkirk Stadium in Wendouree. Another will be open at the Bannockburn Cultural Centre, south of the fire, at 8.15pm.
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2024-02-28 11:30:49Z
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