Victoria bushfires: Light rain, easing wind provides some relief

Milder conditions, light rain and easing winds are helping fire crews contain bushfires burning across one state.

Seven major fires continue to burn in Victoria, with more than 411,000 hectares scorched across the state.

Settled and cooler conditions are helping firefighters build contaminant lines before another expected peak period in the next few days.

As of late Friday morning, authorities declared the Ravenswood and Wyperfeld fires contained.

But the key fire grounds of Walwa and Longwood in the state’s northeast continue to burn.

The region is expected to receive only up to 10mm of rain.

Meteorologist Angus Hines said it was more likely the regions would experience single-digit rainfall totals.

“In fact, gusty winds could cause those fires to flare up once again,” he said.

Alistair Drayton from the State Emergency Service said the easing conditions were helping firefighters access the fire grounds.

“There’s no guarantee that these rains will put the fires out (but) the conditions will allow firefighters to build containers around the fires,” he told AAP.

A fast-moving grassfire swept across Melbourne’s outer west on Friday morning, blackening a paddock and burning a pile of tyres.

The Country Fire Authority was called to the fire at Paynes Road in Rockbank about 10.30am, with crews declaring the fire under control just after 12pm.

Victoria’s bushfire season is set to be reviewed by the state’s emergency management watchdog after volunteer firefighters this week demanded an inquiry into bushfire preparedness, raising questions about funding cuts, ageing equipment and aerial firefighting capacity.

The government agreed on Thursday to request a formal review, but maintains its focus is on recovery and support, with high-risk fire danger still days ahead.

“Once the risk is reduced, we will request a formal review into this bushfire season led by the Inspector General for Emergency Management, not politicians,” a Victorian government spokesperson said.

Victorian Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos backed the IGEM as the appropriate body to conduct the review, noting more than 2200 disaster relief payments had so far been processed, with 14 locations added to the eligibility list.

Mr Dimopoulos took a thinly veiled swipe at the opposition, suggesting it was trying to create political capital out of the disaster ahead of the Victorian election in November.

“What firies deserve and what the Victorians who have lost homes deserve is an independent officer, an expert in office ... to actually do the review,” he told reporters on Friday.

“Not partisan politicians because, frankly, they’ve got no idea and they’ve got an agenda, particularly this year.”

But firefighter unions say an IGEM review cannot deliver the level of scrutiny, independence or public accountability a parliamentary inquiry would provide.

“A parliamentary inquiry is the only way to independently examine why repeated warnings from firefighters and communities were ignored,” Andrew Weidemann from the Across Victoria Alliance said.

The Victorian and federal governments also announced $82 million in funding earlier this week to restore and repair state roads and public transport infrastructure damaged by fires.