Authorities have been warning Victorians about potentially devastating fire conditions on Boxing Day for over a week now. Today their fears of soaring temperatures and tough conditions have been realised. The fire in the Grampians National Park has been burning and expanding for nine days. It’s ripped through more than 55-thousand hectares of bush — one third of the national park.
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00:00Strong, hot winds fanning a rapidly growing and ferocious fire.
00:09Today was always going to be tough.
00:11Extreme fire dangers today is what was predicted and that's what we got.
00:15We saw those high, hot temperatures into the northwest of the state and those hot, northerly
00:20winds.
00:21The fire in the Grampians National Park is burning at such an alarming rate, authorities
00:25are now all but certain homes will be lost.
00:30Firefighters I can say are doing everything possible to protect life and protect property.
00:35This property west of Moyston is in the fire's path.
00:38Darryl Lord has chosen to stay.
00:40Have you sent the missus away though?
00:43Yeah, look, um, no, you'd better finish.
00:46Better if she's not here.
00:50Yeah.
00:52Firefighters braced all day for the change of wind direction, pushing the fire towards
00:58properties, first south, then east, before winds became erratic and unpredictable.
01:04The fire has broached containment lines from the Grampians National Park.
01:09It is moving very much east under that westerly frontal system.
01:13Jack Blake was on the receiving end of those gusty winds in Storl.
01:17With the wind it'd just come crashing down, so it gives you an idea of what the weather's
01:21been like lately.
01:22You must have still heard it.
01:23Yeah, come crashing down.
01:25Yeah.
01:26And what did it sound like?
01:27It sounded just like a tree falling.
01:30With the call change came a bit of reprieve, but the danger is far from over.
01:35Authorities have been pleased by the number of people heeding their warnings.
01:39You do what you're told to do, and that's it.
01:42Yeah, we're fine with that.
01:46The grandmother did get to spend Christmas with her family.
01:49For the many who couldn't, residents rallied, donating gifts and food.
01:54Having been through fires out on our farm and my ex-husband having to shoot sheep because
02:00they had burnt feet years ago, that was probably my driver.
02:05I think after the February fires, a lot of people have been prepared for this, and there's
02:12been a big build-up towards it as well, and I think the community has come together really
02:16well.
02:17Many locals here in Stawell are opening their homes to evacuees, offering their spare rooms
02:22or, in some cases, their Airbnbs, which would usually be full of tourists at this time of
02:27year.
02:28Nobody knows how long these guests will need to stay.
02:31We just go with the flow and hope for the best.
02:36In limbo, at the mercy of a fire that's set to burn for weeks.
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