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Three major bushfires are burning out of control in eastern Victoria, as thousands of campers who took to the bush for the long weekend pack up and flee.
Key points:
- Multiple fires are burning out of control in Gippsland
- Campers in the area for the long weekend are fleeing where they can
- An emergency warning is in place for areas near Briagolong, and watch and act warnings are in place for Loch Sport, Rawson, Walhalla, and Erica
An emergency warning is in place for a fire near Briagolong. Watch and act warnings are in place for Loch Sport, and for a separate fire near the communities of Rawson, Walhalla, and Erica.
An emergency warning for Forge Creek has now been downgraded to an advice message.
Strong wind fans flames
CFA chief fire officer Jason Heffernan said it had been a challenging afternoon for Gippsland firefighters, with more than 350 firefighters working on the fronts, as well as aircraft and heavy machinery.
He said wind gusts of up to 95 kilometres per hour had fanned fires at the afternoon's peak, with the wind speed since dropping.
Mr Heffernan said authorities suspected today's fires had originated from the reignition of private burns, but the CFA was still working to confirm this.
He said the Briagolong fire was the largest and of most concern, having already burnt through an estimated 5,500 hectares.
"It has grown to a significant size — very much as a result of those strong winds we had," he said.
He said authorities were working to confirm reports one house had been lost in the Briagolong fire.
Briagolong home damaged
An emergency warning remains in place for Briagolong, Moornapa, Culloden, and Cobbannah, with the bushfire at Duffy Road not yet under control.
Briagolong resident Rob Saunders told ABC Gippsland his carport, water tanks, fences and parts of his verandah had burnt this morning. He has evacuated to the township of Briagolong.
"I woke up at ten to seven, smelt smoke and the missus said, it looked like there was a fire at Fernbank on the emergency app," Mr Saunders said.
"I walked out the back door and the fire was in the state forest about 50m from my house.
"It was a bit crazy. I ran straight back inside and rang triple-0.
"The spot fires were popping up everywhere. I watched the main water tank, the plastic tanks melt away. The carport is gone, the camper trailer, and bits and pieces all went up.
"I looked to the side of my house, it's a mud brick, raw timber house, one of my verandah posts was on fire. We had three units there and it was time for me to go."
Loch Sport 'leave now' warning
A grassfire 4.2km south-west of Loch Sport is not yet under control and is travelling in an easterly direction. Authorities are urging people in Loch Sport to leave now.
Carolyn Searle from the Loch Sport general store told ABC Gippsland residents had received emergency alerts from Vic Emergency.
"From my shop, I'm looking out my front window and I can see the smoke from the fire. The wind is absolutely terrible," she said.
"The road is blocked off coming into town, but you can get out of town. We have been asked to take refuge but there are cars leaving town."
Walhalla access cut
In Erica, Walhalla, Rawson and surrounding towns, a watch and act warning is in place and the emergency services suggest people evacuate.
Michael Leaney from the Walhalla Star Hotel said the fire was to the south-west of Walhalla and there was no access to the town as the road was cut off.
"I'm in a T-shirt and I'm shivering it's actually so cold," he said.
"There are very few people here. This fire kicked off early at 5am, so no day visitors have come into town.
"We are only dealing with a few people who were camping in some of the more remote areas.
"It's pretty calm here outside of the wind and the crews. There are trucks from all over the district. It's really now a wait and see what happens."
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