Victorians warned over summer threat of catastrophic bushfires and floods

Victoria is facing the dual threat of flash floods and elevated fire risk as state authorities warn of potentially catastrophic conditions this summer.

Some of Victoria’s most popular holiday areas are at increased fire risk over coming months, including Phillip Island, the Mornington Peninsula, South Gippsland and the Otways.

A wet start to the fire season has delayed the immediate threat of fire, but Forest Fire Management Victoria chief fire officer Chris Hardman said the state still could face conditions as dangerous as Black Saturday or Ash Wednesday.

“So if Mother Nature delivers five days of 40 degrees, 70 km/h winds, we could definitely see those types of scenarios,” he said.

Hardman said 10 per cent of bushfires were caused by unattended or illegal campfires, and urged anyone lighting a fire to follow the rules.

“If you light a campfire, it’s your fire,” he said. “It’s your responsibility, and you own it. You cannot put a campfire out with some soil or rake it out and walk away. That’s against the law.”

Much of Victoria has experienced a wet spring, but this comes after prolonged drought throughout south-west Victoria and other parts of the state.

A fire rages near Healesville during the Black Saturday fires. Authorities have warned those conditions could return to Victoria this summer. Credit: Angela Wylie

Other areas at increased threat this summer include the Macedon, Dandenong and Yarra ranges, as well as the wider Grampians region, which includes Bendigo, Ballarat, Castlemaine and Daylesford. Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said the weather bureau was forecasting warmer than normal temperatures for the day and night this summer.

The hotter conditions mean potential fire fuels may dry out quickly in grassy and forested areas. Wiebusch said emergency services were preparing for heatwaves and storms.

“We are likely to see quite a mixed bag of emergencies, whether it’s fire, storm, heatwave or even the potential for thunderstorm asthma,” he said.

Wiebusch cited Bureau of Meteorology modelling that indicated sea surface temperatures were above normal, which raised the possibility of short but heavy bursts of summer rain.

Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch.Credit: Eddie Jim

Country Fire Authority chief officer Jason Heffernan said the recent rain had slowed crop harvests in north and north-western Victoria. He said that meant harvesting would continue through to Christmas and there had already been harvest-related fires, including one blaze of about 200 hectares that CFA crews had brought under control just west of Swan Hill.

He said outer Melbourne was also at risk of fire, including Langwarrin, Seaford, Arthurs Seat, Red Hill, Kinglake and the Yarra Valley.

Heffernan urged holidaymakers to download the VicEmergency app so they could keep up to date about fire and other disaster conditions.

Fire Rescue Victoria deputy commissioner Joshua Fischer warned that fires could spread quickly into urban areas.

“If you live adjacent to bush or grassland and a fire starts, walk two streets back from that bush edge,” he said. “If you already live two streets back from that bush or grassland, stay there and follow information and advice from emergency services.”

The latest seasonal bushfire outlook also identified western and southern Western Australia and parts of central northern NSW as facing increased fire risk this summer.

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