Bushfires Triple in Size Near Victoria’s East Coast

Bushfires burn between the townships of Bemm River and Cann River in eastern Gippsland, Australia, on Jan. 2, 2020. Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Fire authorities have advised residents near the east coast of Victoria to evacuate as a bushfire goes out of control and triples in size.

A bushfire broke out in the regional area of Briagolong, 270 kilometres east of Melbourne, and soon covered 5,000 hectares by Oct. 2.

However, strong winds have caused the blaze to spread over an area of 17,000 hectares by Oct. 3 morning.

“We saw very strong winds coupled by hot temperatures, and then that frontal system came through, which saw 93 kilometre-an-hour winds affecting most of the fire grounds across East Gippsland,” Country Fire Authority (CFA) Chief Jason Heffernan told ABC News.

Authorities issued emergency warnings to residents as well as evacuation notices to those in Stockdale and Stratford.

Meanwhile, Briagolong residents have been told to take shelter as it is too late to evacuate.

Over 650 firefighters battled the blaze on the ground, but some faced challenges with strong winds of up to 80 kilometres per hour blowing in from the sea.

A State Control Centre spokesperson told The Epoch Times that wet weather and rain across the state on Oct. 3 was easing fire conditions, helping firefighters control the blaze.

However, he noted that gusty winds could still cause unexpected fire behaviour.

“The weather is helping. It’s starting to rain, so we see that makes some differences,” the spokesperson said.

He also said fires had burned one house in Briagolong with no casualties reported.

It is unclear when the fire will be extinguished.

“We don’t know that for sure. The weather is obviously having a big impact on that. Once it starts to rain, you expect the fire to go out pretty quickly,” he said.

Lakeside Track Bushfire

Meanwhile, authorities are also concerned about another out-of-control fire near Lakeside Track within the Gippsland Coastal Park, which is moving southeast.

Residents in Seacombe and nearby areas have been told to take shelter.

Fire crews put out spot fires in Sarsfield, Australia, on Jan. 4, 2020. Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the government had established a relief centre at Sale, about 30 kilometres south of the bushfire, to provide assistance to impacted residents.

However, authorities have not been able to determine how much damage the fire has caused.

“The fire season has come, and it’s come early,” Ms. Allan told reporters.

“We’ve also got a couple of days of really wild weather, so our emergency services are responding in some really difficult circumstances in all ends of the state.”

Challenging Period for Firefighters

Mr. Heffernan said Victorian firefighters had been grappling with over 220 fires since Sept. 30, as the bushfire season started early this year.

“The fire danger period for East Gippsland comes into effect this week. That’s some six weeks earlier than what we would traditionally see here,” he said.

“The declaration of an El Nino by the Bureau coupled with that positive Indian Ocean Dipole has created a recipe for really dry conditions here in Victoria, which has led to these fires across the Gippsland.”

Despite the large number of fires facing the state’s fire service, the CFA chief assured the public that there were enough firefighters to handle emergencies.

“We’re joined by our career counterparts in Forest Fire Management Victoria and, of course, Fire Rescue Victoria,” he said.

“CFA is a 52,000-strong volunteer workforce with 30,000 operational members, and they’re out there doing what they do best to protect the Victorian communities.

“The Victorian communities can rest assured that they are well looked after this summer.”

Mr. Heffernan also encouraged Victorian residents to join their local CFA branches and “give back to their community.”