SYDNEY, Dec 27 (NNN-AAP) – Conditions have eased for firefighters working to contain a major bushfire, burning in a national park west of Melbourne.
As of this morning, two emergency warnings remained in place for communities in and around the Grampians National Park, 230 km west of Melbourne, in Australia’s southeastern state of Victoria, down from a peak of 12 warnings last night.
A cool change swept across Victoria late last night, as temperatures plunged from above 40 degrees Celsius to below 20, slowing the spread of the fire that has been burning for 11 days.
Cooler conditions were expected to persist for several days, which authorities said they would use to build containment lines on the active edges of the fire to protect nearby towns.
Over 74,000 hectares of land in the national park have been burnt, Luke Heagarty from the Country Fire Authority said today, compared to 6,000 hectares a week ago.
Authorities said that, no lives or homes were lost but that there were agricultural losses.
Impact assessment teams were expected to examine the damage today.
Over 600 firefighters were working to control the blaze today, including crews from interstate, who arrived in Victoria yesterday.
Despite the improved conditions, authorities expected the fire to continue burning for several weeks.
“The conditions are such that, it will be extremely difficult to put out,” Emergency Management Commissioner, Rick Nugent, said, in a late night update yesterday.
“I wouldn’t be surprised at some point if we do have residential losses.”
In New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, a total fire ban was declared for Greater Sydney and neighbouring regions to the north today, due to the threat posed by hot, dry and windy conditions.– NNN-AAP
