“Thursday’s conditions will make it difficult for firefighters to suppress a fire should one start,” CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said.
“There are two major concerns on Thursday – the fires already burning in the landscape, and any new fires that start as a result of the extreme fire risk.”
Boxing Day’s conditions are forecast to be so dire that more than 100 interstate firefighters will converge on Victoria to assist in containing any fires.
Emergency services used milder conditions in the days before Boxing Day to make final preparations such as back-burning and creating fire breaks. Victorians have been warned to stay abreast of emergency warnings and to avoid any unnecessary travel on Thursday.
In Melbourne, a high of 40 degrees is forecast in some suburbs with a cool change expected to sweep through in the evening. Near the Grampians fire, Halls Gap has a predicted high of 32 degrees, and Stawell and Ararat a peak of 37 degrees.
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A severe weather warning for damaging winds was announced for much of western Victoria on Wednesday. Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said gusts reaching 100km/h would inflame any existing or new fires.
“With these hot, dry and windy conditions, any fires that do get going are likely to be uncontrollable and uncontainable,” Narramore said.
“Obviously concerned definitely around the Grampians with the fire there at the moment, with these strong gusty winds, then that westerly wind change coming in. Big concern for the fire areas and the communities around the Grampians fire.”
On Tuesday, Halls Gap residents were granted a two-hour window to make mercy dashes into the town so they could retrieve personal belongings and finalise their defences.
State Control Centre spokesman Luke Hegarty has urged Victorians to make sure all fires are out by midnight on Wednesday.
“If you’ve been camping, if you’ve been out in the bush, or if you’ve been working at home … Check any fires, make sure they’re fully extinguished and help keep Victoria safe,” Hegarty said.
Elevated risks of heat-related health issues are expected, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, Ambulance Victoria emergency management director Dale Armstrong warned.
Heat stroke is fatal in up to 80 per cent of cases.
“Most at risk are elderly people, young children and those with medical conditions, however, heat and heat-related illnesses can affect anybody,” Armstrong said.
Victorians have been urged to prepare for outages, with energy network company AusNet warning power faults could be triggered to prevent bushfires starting on Thursday.
As a cool change washes over Victoria on Friday, the extreme fire dangers will push into parts of central north-eastern NSW on Friday and Saturday.
Fires break out interstate
Hot, dry and windy conditions are fanning fires in multiple states and territories, with firefighters working to contain blazes in almost every jurisdiction.
A smoke warning has been issued due to a grassfire in Smithfield to Adelaide’s north, as temperatures in the South Australian capital push towards 36 degrees Celsius. Total fire bans are in place for the Mount Lofty Ranges and west coast region of South Australia.
Multiple fires are burning east of Perth and in north-west and south-west WA, and emergency services have warned people to avoid the Laverton area and watch conditions in Bornholm in Albany.
Fire services are working to control minor blazes and scrub fires in the NT, NSW and in Sprent, south-west of Tasmania’s Davenport.
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