Grim Black Summer warning as out-of-control bushfire devastates Victoria national park and five states are put on high alert

Millions of Australians have been warned to brace for a dangerous bushfire season this summer that could rival the devastating Black Summer fires of 2019 and 2020.

The most significant warning comes as firefighters continue to battle out-of-control flames in Victoria.

A fast-growing fire in Victoria’s Grampians National Park had destroyed 30,000 hectares on Saturday night, despite the efforts of 350 firefighters to bring it under control.

And authorities have warned this could be just the beginning, with bushfires in the summer before 2024 showing large parts of Australia are at increased risk of fire danger.

The outlook, issued by the National Fire and Emergency Services Council in November, indicates significant fire danger for four states.

These include the southern coastline and central west of WA and the lower coastal and south-eastern region of the lower Eyre Peninsula in South Australia.

“Large areas of south-west and far west Victoria, parts of the north-east and the Mornington Peninsula in south-west Gippsland are at increased risk of fire,” the outlook said.

Central northern and central southern NSW have also been put on alert, while significant parts of the Northern Territory were believed to be at risk of fire.

Saturday’s massive fire in Victoria has spread rapidly in the past 24 hours after destroying about 7,500 hectares of land on Friday morning.

Residents of several nearby towns, including Bellfield, Flat Rock, Fyans Creek and Halls Gap, were ordered to evacuate immediately on Saturday.

The Vic Emergency website has issued 16 different warnings ranging from Watch and Act to emergency alerts for dozens of areas across the state.

The Watch and Act warning has been issued for several areas including Bullengarook and Lederberg in Melbourne’s northwest.

Watgania, Mafeking, Jimmy Creek, Barton, Jallukar and Londonderry have also been issued Watch and Act warnings from Saturday evening.

An emergency warning issued for Lake Fayans and Pomonal has since been downgraded to Watch and Act as of 5:30 PM Saturday afternoon.

Fire Rescue Victoria Assistant Chief Fire Officer Mark Gunning said the bushfire in the Grampians region could burn for weeks.

Country Fire Authority (CFA) chief officer Jason Heffernan said a dry winter in Victoria has provided fertile ground for dangerous fire conditions as the weather continues to warm.

“The underlying winter drought, the lowest on record, has led to significant dieback and undergrowth for some parts of Victoria,” Heffernan said.

Mr Heffernan urged residents to have a bushfire plan ready in case there is an increased risk of bushfires.

“On hot, dry and windy days, make sure you have a backup location that you can’t visit in a high-risk bushfire area,” he said.

‘If you are staying in a bushfire risk area, the safest option is to leave the night before or early in the day on a catastrophic or extreme day.’

The bushfire outlook also highlighted the limited rainfall parts of south-west Victoria and parts of WA received this year.

The lack of moisture has contributed to significant amounts of dry plant material.

‘South Australia received below average rainfall throughout the cool season and into spring. As a result, soil moisture is below average across much of southern and eastern Australia,” the outlook said.

“Communities are encouraged to be vigilant and remain alert this summer, even in areas of Australia where there is normal fire risk, as catastrophic fires can still occur during normal bushfire events.”

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast warmer than average temperatures across the country over the coming days and nights.

Northern and eastern parts of Australia are expected to reach high minimum temperatures.

Parts of north and central Queensland will also experience above-average rainfall this week.

The bushfire outlook also indicates that above-average rainfall is likely to occur in South Australia and WA this summer.

The warning comes five years after the devastating Black Summer bushfires that wreaked havoc across Australia, shocking the world at the process of destruction left in its wake.

The disaster claimed the lives of 33 people across the country and the forest fires destroyed as many as 19 million hectares of lives.

About 3,000 homes were destroyed and tens of thousands of people were displaced.

The disaster also claimed the lives of native wildlife, killing an estimated billions of animals, according to findings from Natural Research Hazards of Australia.