‘Worst since Black Summer’: Bushfire threat remains as heat band moves north

A cool change has eased conditions for firefighters battling an out-of-control blaze in Victoria’s Grampians following the worst bushfire conditions since 2019’s Black Summer.

Temperatures plunged on Thursday as gusty westerly winds swept over the blazes in the state’s west that have raged for more than a week and scorched more than 70,000 hectares of bushland.

Authorities issued a flurry of warnings to evacuate or seek shelter as the afternoon wind change took hold and fanned the flames in unpredictable directions.

The cool change had since slowed the spread of the fires as temperatures plunged, humidity rose and a small amount of rain fell, Victoria State Control Centre spokesman Luke Hegarty said.

However, six emergency warnings remained in place as of 3am (AEDT) Friday.

Hegarty said in a late-night update that although authorities expected raging blazes to ease, “we are not yet out of the woods with these fires”.

The update came after authorities warned homes were likely to be destroyed by the blaze as Victoria faced the worst bushfire conditions since Black Summer, with flames expected to rage for weeks.

The Grampians fire was significant and was likely to burn for weeks even with 600 personnel on the ground fighting it, Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent said.

“(It is) very difficult terrain and very dry in there. The conditions are such that it will be extremely difficult to put out,” he said.

The blaze has caused significant damage to the environment, fencing, outbuildings and sheds and resulted in stock losses, Mr Nugent said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised at some point if we do have residential losses,” he said.

Thousands of people were without power on Thursday night as extreme heat and strong winds wreaked havoc on power lines, Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said.

“As the strong winds intensify, the risks of more localised outages will increase from tonight into tomorrow,” she said on Thursday.

Despite cooler conditions on Friday, Deputy Premier Ben Carroll warned dangerous fire conditions were set to continue on Saturday.

While Victoria will get some reprieve with a cool change, the hot, dry and windy conditions will push into parts of central northeastern NSW, bringing extreme fire danger on Friday.

Total fire bans have been declared for the Hunter, Greater Sydney, North Western and Northern Slopes regions.

The mercury reached the high 30s or higher for much of Victoria on Thursday as extreme fire risks resulted in the entire state being declared a total fire ban.