Boxing day total fire ban has been declared for the entire state of Victoria with high temperatures and strong winds forecast. Authorities are concerned the extreme fire conditions will worsen the current blaze burning in the Grampians and make it difficult for firefighters to contain new fires.
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TVTranscript
00:00A bit of deja vu, here we go again for a lot of firefighters across Victoria.
00:06It was only just shy of a week ago where we saw mid to high 40-degree temperatures and
00:13northerly winds.
00:14Boxing Day, mid-40s, strong northerly winds, but it's that westerly to southwesterly change
00:20coming through that really makes us nervous.
00:23With 80 to 90 kilometres an hour, with potential for 100 kilometres an hour peak gusts on elevated
00:29parts of the western regions of which the Grampians comprises.
00:34So we've enjoyed two days of fairly benign weather across the firegrounds which has really
00:40allowed firefighters and local landholders, particularly in the Grampians region, to consolidate
00:45containment lines, make preparations, put further containment lines in the landscape
00:51in readiness for what will be a very challenging day for firefighters tomorrow.
00:56This morning, residents of Halls Gap were allowed back in under emergency service escort
01:01to their homes to collect valuables, possessions, Christmas presents or anything they are after
01:07to ensure they will have some sort of Christmas tomorrow.
01:12That was in play until midday today.
01:14It has now been closed off again with evacuations finalised.
01:19It's now no longer safe for any residents to return there.
01:23We saw some light rainfall across some of the firegrounds a little closer to Melbourne,
01:28particularly the Balloongarook fire which went contained overnight but nowhere near
01:32enough rain to make any difference to that fire scene.
01:35And 144 hectares, it will be alight as we go into that boxing day and again firefighters
01:42are working hard to strengthen containment lines but also prepare communities that may
01:47be in the path of any of these fires should they get out of their containment lines.
01:52The Gurdies, which is a fire we've also been talking about earlier in the week, it did
01:56see some rain which has made a difference, however firefighters still remain on the fireground
02:01blacking out operations, making sure that any hot embers or any logs that they do see
02:07are worked over to ensure that does stay in containment lines.
02:11Such is the weather that we are expecting here in Victoria on boxing day that I've had
02:16cause to declare from midnight on Christmas night a statewide total fire ban for Victoria
02:24to be in full effect for the 24 hour period starting midnight on the 25th.