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Firefighters battle fresh blazes in Victoria as pockets of NSW burn Firefighters battle fresh blazes in Victoria as pockets of NSW burn
(32 minutes later)
Conditions to become more unsettled as winds begin to shift and clouds move in, officials warnConditions to become more unsettled as winds begin to shift and clouds move in, officials warn
All eyes are on a bushfire in Victoria that has been raging for weeks as southern Australia swelters through a three-day heatwave. Firefighters are working to bring freshly sparked bushfires under control amid heatwave conditions, with nearby residents advised to monitor the situation.
Hot conditions were expected to continue on Sunday from central Australia to the south-east, with pockets in Victoria’s east and New South Wales’s south-east likely to experience severe conditions until late Sunday. With total fire bans in place in Victoria, firefighters responded to fresh blazes on Sunday afternoon in the state’s central goldfields region.
Firefighters were on high alert in Victoria as a fire in the Grampians, which began in mid-December, continued to burn. Residents were advised to stay informed as crews worked to control fires at Moliagul, west of Bendigo, and near Maryborough, north of Ballarat.
The extreme fire conditions in Australia’s south-east came as residents sweltered through the third day of a heatwave.
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Sunday was declared an extreme fire danger day in the Mallee, central (which includes Melbourne and Geelong) and north central regions, with a warning of high fire danger in all other parts of Victoria. The hot and dry weather stretched from central Australia to the south-east.
Total fire bans were declared in the Mallee, Wimmera, south-west, north central and central districts. Conditions are set to become more unsettled as winds begin to shift and clouds move in, according to a Victoria State Control Centre spokesperson, Reegan Key.
The Country Fire Authority chief officer, Jason Heffernan, said the total fire ban had been declared because of the potential for gusty conditions. “People will notice the cloud cover today a bit more, and that creates more tricky conditions for firefighters,” she said.
“This weekend’s hot and windy conditions pose a big risk for the state with significant fires already in the landscape,” he said. “Where we already have fires in the landscape, sometimes the winds can be a bit difficult, but equally there is potential for lightning across the state so we might see some new starts.”
“Heatwaves can be incredibly dangerous and they kill more Australians than any other natural event.”
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He said it was important for travellers to remain alert and up to date with fire danger warnings throughout the summer season. Total fire bans were in place for Mallee, Wimmera, the south-west, north central and central, which includes Melbourne and Geelong.
Authorities were monitoring fire threats in two of Victoria’s most popular national parks on opposite sides of the state, with tourists and locals in the Grampians and Wilsons Promontory urged to monitor alerts. A cool change with below-average temperatures and patchy rain is forecast for Monday.
The Grampians national park bushfire had eased but continued to burn, with four houses and several other buildings lost. A fire in the Grampians national park that began in mid-December continues to burn out of control but at a slower rate.
More than 76,000 hectares of the Grampians – equivalent to the size of Singapore – have been burnt. More than 76,000 hectares of the park – equivalent to the size of Singapore – have burnt and four houses and several other buildings have been destroyed.
A heatwave warning for South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania has been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology, with temperatures expected to reach the 40s in some parts of the country on Sunday. Crews have been working to contain the fire to enable residents and tourists to return to Halls Gap and surrounding areas.
Conditions should start to ease on Monday for South Australia and Victoria, but NSW won’t get any relief until the middle of the week. “If we can get through today, they are likely to declare that fire contained in the next couple of days,” Key said.
“We may see some moderate winds picking up through this afternoon just ahead of the front we’re expecting as it moves through western Victoria,” Miriam Bradbury, a senior BoM meteorologist, told Guardian Australia. In New South Wales, fire crews were battling 46 fires on Sunday amid concerns that possible thunderstorms could make matters worse.
“We’re looking at the potential for patchy showers today but these are unlikely to dampen things on the fireground. Hopefully there will be rain overnight. Some of those fires were burning in or around Yengo and Wollemi national parks and near Attunga state forest.
“Once the cool change moves through as we go into Tuesday, that sort of time period, we’ll see much lighter winds going into a cooler period. We may still see some gusty winds on Monday, but they’ll be coming from the south and they’ll be cooler.
“Hopefully that will be better conditions for the fire agencies on the ground.”
In NSW, fire crews fought 40 fires across the state on Saturday with the help of waterbombing aircraft.
Some of those fires were burning in or around the Yengo and Wollemi national parks and near the Attunga state forest.