Massive fires burn across Victorias west

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Victorian communities are once again on edge, after extreme weather fanned fast moving bushfires west of Ballarat. People in Beaufort have been told to leave their homes as out-of-control fires are bearing down the town.

Transcript

00:00 A swirling, destructive bushfire on the move in Western Victoria and edging dangerously

00:09 close to houses, including this 150-year-old former primary school in Raglan, which Ian

00:16 O'Brien made his home 30 years ago.

00:18 I'm bloody real worried.

00:20 Yeah.

00:21 I can't think.

00:22 I'm just sort of, yeah, I've got that real sick and itch tummy.

00:26 The fire started just south of Warwick and by mid-afternoon, the Western Highway was

00:31 closed and more than a dozen towns, including Beaufort, were warned to evacuate and go to

00:37 Ballarat.

00:38 I'd say there's a few houses gone behind me.

00:42 What do you do?

00:43 Leaving immediately.

00:44 Leaving immediately is the safest option.

00:48 24 aircraft, including water bombers, have helped keep flames away from some homes.

00:54 And on the ground, 100 vehicles and 1,000 firefighters are scrambling to do what they

01:00 can.

01:01 But it's a dynamic situation.

01:04 And in Raglan, north of Beaufort, what seemed far away was soon dangerously close.

01:10 The fire has been growing and changing quite rapidly.

01:13 There are now concerns about spot fires and potential of lightning to be created in that

01:18 big smoke column that we're seeing.

01:21 The warnings have now changed.

01:22 Fireys, emergency services are now telling people here in Raglan that they should also

01:27 evacuate.

01:28 The fire soon spotting hundreds of metres ahead.

01:32 A cool change is expected, but little rain is forecast and it's feared strong southwesterly

01:38 winds will simply push the blaze faster towards towns.

01:43 In effect, that will turn one side of the fire that is currently what we call a flank

01:47 or the side of the fire into the main fire front and will bring more communities under

01:51 threat tonight.

01:52 I expect those wind conditions to continue into about midnight tonight.

01:58 Last week, 46 properties in Pomonal near the Grampians were destroyed by bushfire.

02:05 Now another tense night as smoke fills the air in Victoria's west.

02:09 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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