Major Bushfire Claims Three Homes in Victoria, Australia

Sydney, Dec 28 (NationPress) A devastating bushfire has led to the loss of three homes and almost eleven outbuildings in a national park located in Victoria, Australia, as reported by local media on Saturday.

More stable and cooler weather in the vicinity of Grampians National Park, approximately 230 km west of Melbourne, has permitted emergency services to commence preliminary assessments of the impact, as stated by the Xinhua news agency in its report citing The Age newspaper.

The fire has resulted in the destruction of three homes in the community of Moyston, along with the loss of 11 outbuildings across Moyston and Pomonal.

According to Luke Heagerty, a spokesperson for the State Control Center, “These figures are likely to change in the coming days.”

Firefighting teams are hopeful that the conditions will remain suitable for battling the raging 75,000-hectare fire within Grampians National Park for the next week, as per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Xinhua news agency.

Warnings have been adjusted to a watch and act status, with residents encouraged to keep a close eye on the situation.

Previously, on December 25, officials in Victoria issued an emergency alert to inhabitants of the Grampians mountain range, urging them to evacuate as the bushfire situation deteriorated.

VicEmergency sent out a fire alert on Wednesday afternoon, advising residents in Moyston and Pomonal, two towns in western Victoria, to evacuate immediately as the bushfire in Grampians National Park continued to rage.

“A bushfire at Grampians National Park, located on Yarram Gap Road, remains uncontrolled,” stated VicEmergency, adding that evacuating immediately was the safest course of action before the situation turned perilous.

VicEmergency also cautioned that bushfires across Victoria would lead to Extreme Fire Conditions, marking the most severe conditions since the Black Summer of 2019-2020.

As the fire escalated to Extreme Fire Danger, it was expected to spread rapidly and pose significant risks.

Ignited by lightning on December 16, the fire had consumed around 41,000 hectares of land due to soaring temperatures and fierce winds by Monday.

Australian communities and firefighters had been gearing up for several days of heightened bushfire threats.

Despite improved conditions for firefighters, numerous uncontrolled fires continued to blaze in southeastern Victoria that week.

With temperature forecasts indicating highs above 40 degrees Celsius on December 26, residents were warned to prepare for catastrophic fire scenarios.

Those evacuated from areas threatened by the significant fire in Grampians National Park, located about 230 km west of Melbourne, were permitted to return home for a brief period to collect personal items.

Four interstate firefighting task forces and two emergency management teams were scheduled to arrive in Victoria to support the hundreds of local firefighters combating the Grampians blaze.

The Country Fire Authority recommended that anyone who could refrain from traveling through affected regions during the Christmas season should do so.

In other parts of Australia, several small bush and grass fires in New South Wales were still active but were under control.

In South Australia, residents in the outer-southern suburb of Onkaparinga Hills were advised to evacuate as firefighters battled a raging bushfire.