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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.
Firefighting crews are scrambling to a tiny farming community south of Ballarat now to tackle a fast-moving grass fire that is heading towards the small township.
Smoke from the Dereel fire can be seen in a video shared on social media below.
Local man Robert Hausler shared another image with The Age below.
It was taken from Mackrell Road and Hausler said the fire was heading towards the town.
The hamlet on the Colac-Ballarat Road has multiple homes, a community hall, a men’s shed, a playground and a CFA station in the centre of the township.
The view from Mackrell Road in Dereel shows smoke on the horizon.Credit: Robert Hausler/Facebook
A large swamp sits to the west of the community. An airstrip is further south.
The entire postcode’s population is 664.
Residents in Corindhap, the next town south of Dereel, have also been told to leave now. The town has a population of 131.
An emergency warning for an out-of-control grass fire has just been issued for the small community of Dereel in Victoria’s central-west.
“There is a grassfire travelling from Kleins Road in a south-easterly direction towards Dereel that is out of control,” the alert says.
“People at Dereel should leave immediately.”
Dereel, about 30 kilometres south of Ballarat on the road to Colac, has an official population of 664.
About 20 vehicles are responding to the fire, the alert says.
Country Fire Authority chief officer Jason Heffernan says challenging fire conditions in Victoria’s west will continue for the next couple of hours as firefighters focus on the Wimmera and Mallee regions this evening.
Speaking on Seven News moments ago, Heffernan said winds had caused spot fires to start on the other side of containment lines for the existing fire near Beaufort, but crews had pounced on them quickly.
Country Fire Authority chief Jason Heffernan speaks at the State Control Centre last week.Credit: Nine News
“We have seen 40 degrees ... in places in the north-west. It has been catastrophic – we said it was going to be,” Heffernan said.
The CFA chief said five out of seven weather stations in the Wimmera recorded catastrophic conditions, as well as six out of 13 stations in the south-west district.
“We are getting reports of wind speeds up to 100km/h on the change,” he said, calling the current conditions “really challenging”.
“It’s going to continue for the next couple of hours and firefighters will continue to have their work cut out for them.”
Heffernan said the cool change has slowed while moving across the state and expected the real conditions probably won’t ease until about midnight.
“The real main front is starting to hit the Beaufort fire as speak and go to air,” he said. “I expect people in that area probably won’t see relief for the next five hours or so.”
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2024-02-28 08:53:25Z
CBMipQFodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVhZ2UuY29tLmF1L25hdGlvbmFsL3ZpY3RvcmlhL3ZpY3RvcmlhLWZpcmVzLWxpdmUtdXBkYXRlcy1jYXRhc3Ryb3BoaWMtd2VhdGhlci13YXJuaW5nLWJ1c2hmaXJlLW5lYXItYmVhdWZvcnQtc3RpbGwtb3V0LW9mLWNvbnRyb2wtMjAyNDAyMjctcDVmOGF3Lmh0bWzSAQA
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