It's been a day of wild extremes across Victoria with soaring temperatures sparking fire emergencies in the west followed by damaging storms which swept across the state. As the bushfires threaten communities in the state's west thunderstorms have caused power outages for more than half a million homes and businesses. And it's not over yet. The front is expected to continue to move into eastern Victoria throughout the evening.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00 Two blazers burning out of control in the Grampians National Park.
00:07 The situation is very dynamic.
00:09 The smoke blanketing the nearby township of Pomona,
00:13 where this afternoon residents were told to shelter in place if they hadn't already left.
00:18 People living in surrounding areas nervously watching for a wind change.
00:23 That's when I'm going to worry.
00:24 To take the kids and dog and leave and help your most likely stay to protect the property.
00:29 At this flower farm at Laharum they were preparing fire breaks and monitoring the smoke on the horizon.
00:36 It could jump over the mountain and then it's a real threat.
00:38 Also over the next 18 hours the wind's supposed to change direction and head north.
00:43 So yeah, it's definitely a threat.
00:45 I'm actually expecting at least a 50% chance it'll hit us at some point the next day or two.
00:49 Dry lightning sparked several fires across the state.
00:53 It was Victoria's first catastrophic fire danger day in three years, ultimately delivering.
00:59 Those extraordinary temperatures and in particular some of those extraordinary winds
01:03 really has been the perfect recipe for a bad fire day.
01:07 The winds not only whipped up the flames but also wreaked havoc for firefighters.
01:12 We have seen a number of times throughout today where aircraft were not able to fly
01:17 as a result of the dangers of those wind speeds.
01:20 Around Halls Gap many heeded warnings to get out early.
01:23 We are leaving home today and just going to the nearest bigger town which is Ararat as a safety precaution.
01:31 Relief centres are being established for those who have left their homes.
01:35 Conditions are expected to ease overnight but emergency services warn the threat isn't over yet.
01:41 [BLANK_AUDIO]