A town near Victoria’s Grampians National Park has been told to ‘shelter now’ as a feared out-of-control bushfire threatens lives on Boxing Day.
Residents of Bornes Hill were told early Thursday morning that it is too late to leave and that they must take shelter while firefighters continue to battle the flames.
They had previously been ordered to leave on Wednesday, along with residents of Moyston and Pomonal.
It comes after high temperatures and windy conditions were expected to create an extreme fire risk in most parts of Victoria on Boxing Day – the worst conditions since the Black Summer of 2019.
The mercury is expected to reach the high 30s to 40s across much of the state and inland Australia, with the town of Birdsville in central western Queensland forecast to see a scorching 47 degrees Celsius.
Victoria State Control Center spokesman Luke Hegarty warned people in the Grampians, The Gurdies, Bullengarook and Creswick to prepare their bushfire survival plans.
“If you choose to leave these high-risk areas, go on the night of December 25 or no later than 10am on December 26, before the extreme fire danger begins,” he said.
Mr Narramore said the combination of high winds, high temperatures and dry air was creating dangerous fire activity.
The bushfires in the Grampians National Park continue to burn out of control
Firefighters are battling the Grampians blaze on Monday
“Any fire that starts or is already underway around the Grampians is likely to be out of control and out of control, leading to dangerous and erratic fire behavior,” he said.
Firefighters from multiple states have been deployed to assist their Victorian counterparts as crews work to secure containment lines.
Energy supplier AusNet warned customers that power cuts may be caused to prevent bushfires starting and power outages may last longer to ensure safety.
As a cool change washes over Victoria on Thursday night, hot, dry and windy conditions will move into parts of central north-eastern NSW, creating an extreme fire danger in that region on Friday.