Firefighters battled to contain an out-of-control bushfire in Victoria’s west on Sunday before temperatures spike in the region on Boxing Day.
The fire in Grampians National park, about three hours west of Melbourne, grew to 34,000 hectares on Sunday after it was ignited by a series of lightning strikes almost a week ago.
Residents were warned to leave immediately in Halls Gap, Bellfield, Flat Rock Crossing, Grampians Junction and Fyans Creek. The warning was downgraded to watch and act late on Sunday morning, but it remained unsafe for residents to return.
Emergency services said the fire could burn for weeks due to the dry terrain, which caused the fire to spread quickly, and the very little rain forecast for the Grampians National park – which was closed due to the blaze on Friday.
Victoria’s state response controller, Garry Cook, said on Saturday that firefighters were working to contain the fire ahead of increased fire risk on Boxing Day when a maximum of 39C is expected for the region.
“The terrain is also inaccessible to many of our crews on the ground so we’re doing our best to attack the fire from the air where safe to do so.
“We understand the disappointment for many with the closure of the Grampians National park but our number one priority is the protection of life.
“People in surrounding areas to the fire need to remain alert and ready to take action.”
Robyn Murphy, a Halls Gap resident who fled her home told ABC radio how the bushfire had interrupted her plans: “All the presents, all the yummy food in the fridge. All prepared to have a nice Christmas and now we’re out of home, so it’s sad.”
after newsletter promotion
It comes as a flood warning remains in place in parts of Queensland’s north tropical coast and central coast after some areas were hit with more than 340mm of rain in six hours. Some areas faced rainfall of up to 100mm.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast severe thunderstorms for Queensland’s north on Sunday.
However, the bureau said the tropical low that caused the torrential downfalls had started to move out to sea and will continue to do so over the next few days.
