Emergency Warnings Issued for Victorian Fires as Heatwave Sweeps Southern Australia

In Victoria, emergency warnings have been issued for several communities as an out-of-control bushfire continues to burn in the north-east of the state. An Emergency Warning remains in place for areas including Longwood, Longwood East, Ruggy, Tarcombe and Upton Hill, where residents have been told it is too late to leave and they must take shelter indoors immediately.

A major fire is burning in Mt Lawson State Park, about 25 kilometres west of the town of Walwa, near Victoria’s border with New South Wales. The bushfire is moving south from within the park toward the town of Bungil, prompting authorities to order residents in Bungil, Granya and Thologolong to evacuate immediately.

Victoria’s State Control Centre official David Nugent said the western and southern flanks of the fire were the most active and extremely challenging to control.

“We have firefighters working really hard to reduce the intensity of the fire and bring it under control,” he said.
“We have 14 aircraft working on the fire to support ground crews as we try to contain it as quickly as possible.”

Firefighters in South Australia are also on high alert as scorching temperatures and dry conditions continue to heighten the risk of new fires breaking out. Some regions are expected to experience consecutive days of temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius.

Despite the dangerous conditions, Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said there had so far been no reports of homes destroyed or injuries.
“Today there have been no structure losses or injuries reported in Victoria, which is good news,” he said. “But with the current warnings in place, particularly for the Walwa/Mt Lawson and Moyreisk fires, the risk remains very real.”

Authorities have urged residents in affected areas to closely monitor updates through the VicEmergency website and to follow all emergency instructions as the situation continues to evolve.