Uncontrollable Fire Risk as Victoria Braces for 45C Peak

MELBOURNE : Victorian emergency leaders have issued a chilling warning to the community, stating that fires ignited during this Friday’s extreme weather will likely be “beyond the capacity” of emergency services to stop.

After a brief reprieve in Melbourne tomorrow, temperatures are set to skyrocket on Friday. Melbourne is forecast to hit 40°C, while Mildura and the Mallee region could reach a blistering 45°C.

The fire could be seen burning slowly across dry grassland, dangerously close to homesteads.

CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan warned that conditions will reach the “upper end of extreme” statewide. “Fires under these conditions are uncontrollable,” Heffernan said. “If a fire takes, it will spread very quickly.”

With hot northerly winds and the threat of dry lightning looming, Total Fire Bans have been declared for the following districts starting midnight tonight:

Mallee

North-Central

North-East

Northern Country

Why Friday is Different

CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan warned conditions on Friday will be extreme throughout Victoria.

Authorities are particularly concerned about the combination of extreme heat and “dry lightning”—lightning that occurs without rain. FFMVic Chief Fire Officer Chris Hardman warned that if lightning strikes a single tree in these conditions, the fire could become unsuppressible within minutes.

“With the conditions we have ahead of us, these fires will not be able to be suppressed,” Hardman stated.

Victorians flocked to pools and beaches across the state in a bid to cool off.

Residents in fire-prone areas are urged to leave in the early hours of Friday morning.

Do not travel into bushland areas unnecessarily.

Monitor the VicEmergency app and have a written fire plan ready.

Today, temperatures already peaked at 44.7°C at Walpeup, signaling the start of a dangerous multi-day heat event that will test the state’s firefighting resources to their limit.