‘Too late to leave’, residents told
■ ■ FLOWERDALE and Yea residents were under threat from a fast moving grass fire that blew up on Tues. afternoon (Feb. 21).
An alert was issued at 3.56pm, with Vic Emergency’s first warnings focused on the Spring Valley Rd area.
Dozens of Country Fire Authority volunteers were called to the area as the fire started to spread over the Yea Spur and Minto hills, towards Homewood, west of Yea.
More than half-a-dozen aircraft fought the blaze from the sky, covering an area measuring hundreds of hectares.
Residents were warned that it was already “too late to leave”
Local homes were under threat, as there were fears of a wind change taking the fire into more built-up areas.
ABC Radio and UGFM Radio went live with reports of the fire fighting efforts. The fire story led the news on the Seven and Nine networks. There were the obvious memories of the Black Saturday fires from February 2009, in which 173 lives were lost.
Media reports through Tuesday afternoon and evening described the blaze as “out of control”.
Blake Johnson and Sara Jones reported on location for Seven News. Adam Hegarty of the Nine Network was based at Strath Creek. Residents were advised to stay inside. Emergency warnings were updated on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
The
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2023 Phone: 5797 2656, 1800 231 311. www.LocalPaper.com.au or www.AdvertiseFree.com.au FREE ‘The Local Paper’ is published by Local Media Pty Ltd Local and Independent. Not associated with any other publication in this area. LARGEST READERSHIP OF ANY LOCAL NEWSPAPER IN MURRINDINDI SHIRE SPECIAL ‘EXTRA’ EDITION RUSH UPDATES FIRE
● ● ● ● Aerial photos of the fire
on Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 21)
Flowerdale, Yea
●
Tuesday afternoon
EMERGENCY
scene
centred on
and Homewood. Photos from the 7News helicopter.
Fire scene photos from
(Feb.
21)
centred on Flowerdale, Yea and Homewood. Photos from the 7News helicopter.
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■ ■ FLOWERDALE. Flowerdale Community House. 36 Silver Creek Rd.
■ ■ FLOWERDALE. Flowerdale Hotel. 3325 Whittlesea-Yea Rd.
■ ■ ■ ■ FLOWERDALE. Hazeldene General Store. 6 Curlings Rd.
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■ ■ KINGLAKE. United Service Station. 2 Glenburn-Kinglake Rd.
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■ ■ NARBETHONG. Black Spur Inn. 436 Maroondah Hwy.
■ ■ ■ ■ NARBETHONG. Black Spur Roadhouse. 264 Maroondah Hwy.
■ ■ PANTON HILL. Panton Hill
General Store. 586 Kangaroo
Ground-St Andrews Rd.
■ ■ PANTON HILL. Panton Hill
Hotel. 633 Kangaroo Ground-St Andrews Rd.
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ST ANDREWS. St Andrews Hotel. 79 Burns St.
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THORNTON. 4 Ways Diner. 1369 Taggerty-Thornton Rd.
THORNTON. Rubicon Hotel. 1362 Taggerty-Thornton Rd.
■ ■ ■ ■ THORNTON. Thornton General Store. 1365 TaggertyThornton Rd.
■ ■ WATTLE GLEN. Peppers Paddock General Store. 13 Kangaroo Ground-Wattle Glen Rd.
■ ■ ■ ■ WHITTLESEA. Champions IGA Supermarket. 2/16 Church St.
■ ■ ■ ■ WHITTLESEA. El Azar Milk Bar. 13 Church St.
■ ■ WHITTLESEA. Royal Mail Hotel. 29 Beech St.
■ ■ WHITTLESEA. Whittlesea Bowls Club. 101 Church St.
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■ ■ YARCK. Yarck Hotel. Maroondah Hwy.
■ ■ YEA. Amble Inn Cafe. 24 High St.
■ ■ ■ ■ YEA. Country Club Hotel. 18 High St.
■ ■ ■ ■ YEA. Endeavour Petroleum (BP). 31 High St.
■ ■ YEA. Foodworks. 10 High St.
■ ■ YEA. Giddy Coat Cafe. 94 High St.
■ ■ ■ ■ YEA. Grand Central Hotel. 64 High St.
■ ■ ■ ■ YEA. Marmalades. 20 High St.
■ ■ YEA. Mint and Jam. 46 High St.
■ ■ YEA. Nutrien Harcourts. 52 High St.
■ ■ ■ ■ YEA. Peppercorn Hotel. 21 Station St.
■ ■ YEA. Provender Bakery. 56 High St.
■ ■ YEA. Rendezvous In Yea. 10 High St.
■ ■ YEA. Royal Mail Hotel. 88 High St.
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ YEA. Yea Bakery. 44 High St.
■ ■ YEA. Yea Newsagency. 74 High St.
■ ■ YEA. Yea Take-Away. 68 High St.
Lilydale and Yarra Valley
Express Edition
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■ ■ ■ ■ LAUNCHING PLACE. Home Hotel. 2170 Warburton Hwy.
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■ ■ MILLGROVE. Licensed Grocery. 3043 Warburton Hwy.
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■ ■ ■ ■ WARBURTON. Bakery. 3415 Warburton Hwy.
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■ ■ WOORI YALLOCK. Hillcrest Little Store. 1745 Warburton Hwy.
■ WOORI YALLOCK. Woori Yallock Newsagency. Shop
4,1585 Warburton Hwy.
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Mitchell Shire Edition
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■ BROADFORD. Broadford Post Office. 123 High St.
■ ■ BROADFORD. Broadford Service Station. 165 High St.
■ ■ BROADFORD. Commercial Hotel. 31 High St.
■ BROADFORD. High Street Bakery. 67A High St.
■ BROADFORD. IGA Supermarket. 65 High St.
■ ■ BROADFORD. Stuty’s Bakehouse. 91-93 High St.
■ DONNYBROOK. Donnybrook Hotel. 825 Donnybrook Rd.
■ DONNYBROOK. Donnybrook Post Office. 810 Donnybrook Rd.
■ KILMORE. BP. 102 Sydney St.
● Adam Hegarty of Nine News chose Strath Creek, with
Fire Advisory
Emergency warnings issued
■ An updated emergency warning for residents of Flowerdale and Yea was issued at 10.14pm Tuesday (Feb. 21) replacing earlier warnings.
“This Emergency Warning replaces the Emergency Warning issued at 7.59pm.
out and go to an area that has already been burnt.
If you cannot get indoors, last resort options include:
■ Shelter in the middle of a large open area like a ploughed paddock, football oval or sporting reserve.
■
■ ■ KILMORE. Kemp’s Bakery.
65 Sydney St.
■ KILMORE. Kilmore Bakery.
54 Sydney St.
■ KILMORE. Kilmore Newsagency. 41 Sydney St.
■ KILMORE. Red Lion Hotel.
29-31 Sydney St.
■ ■ KILMORE. Royal Oak Hotel.
29-31 Sydney St.
■ KILMORE. United Service Station. 127-145 Powlett St.
■ SEYMOUR. IGA O’Keefe’s.
10/115 Anzac Ave.
■ ■ SEYMOUR. Liberty Seymour.
37-39 Emily St.
■ ■ SEYMOUR. Seymour NewsXpress. 66 Station St.
■ SEYMOUR. Seymour South Post and Lotto. 75 Anzac Ave.
■ SEYMOUR. Prince of Wales Hotel. 48 Emily St.
■ ■ SEYMOUR. Royal Hotel. 26 Emily St.
■ SEYMOUR. Terminus Hotel.
26 Station St.
■ SEYMOUR. Top Shop. Cnr Anzac Ave and Delatite Rd.
■ TALLAROOK. Tallarook General Store. 36 Main Rd.
■ ■ ■ TALLAROOK. Tallarook Hotel.
15 Main Rd.
■ TRAWOOL. Trawool Estate/ Hotel. 8150 Goulburn Valley Hwy.
■ WALLAN. United Service Station. 11-14 High St.
■ WALLAN. Wallan News and Lotto. Shop 6, 55 High St.
■ ■ WALLAN EAST. New Rattlers Inn. Station St.
■ WANDONG. Caltex Star Mart.
3272 Epping-Kilmore Rd.
■ WANDONG. Dundee’s Fish and Cips. 3272 Epping-Kilmore Rd.
■ ■ WANDONG. IGA Supermarket. 3272 Epping-Kilmore Rd.
■ WANDONG. Wandong Post News and Tatts. 3272 EppingKilmore Rd.
■ WANDONG. Kemp’s Wandong Bakery. 372 EppingKilmore Rd.
■ ■ ■ WANDONG. Magpie and Stump Hotel. 3313 EppingKilmore Rd.
“There is a grassfire at Spring Valley Rd, Flowerdale that is not yet under control.
“The grassfire is travelling in a northerly direction from Spring Valley Rd, Flowerdale, the fire has now crossed Carver Creek moving towards Yea Spur Rd.
“If you have not already left, the time to safely evacuate has now passed. Take shelter indoors immediately. It is now too dangerous to leave.
“Aircraft are working in the area and will continue to work into the night. Firefighters and heavy machinery are working in the area.
“You are in danger, act now to protect yourself. It is too late to leave. The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately. What you should do
■ Quickly move indoors:
■ Bring your pets indoors.
■ Close all exterior doors, windows and vents.
■ Turn off cooling systems.
■ You must take shelter before the fire arrives.
■ The extreme heat is likely to harm you well before the flames reach you.
■ Shelter in a room that has two exits, such as a door or window, including one directly to the outside. It is important to be able to see outside so you know what is happening with the fire.
If your home catches on fire and the conditions inside become unbearable, you need to get
■ Get into a large body of water like a dam, lake, river, the ocean or in-ground pool.
■ Try to protect yourself from the fire's heat. In the car
If you are travelling, do not enter the warning area. Make a u-turn and travel to safety. If you are currently driving, slow down and turn on your headlights; smoke will make it difficult to see.
If caught in fire
■ Park behind a solid structure to block the fire's heat or pull over to cleared area.
■ Try to position the car towards the approaching fire.
■ Turn on your hazard lights and headlights.
■ Close all windows.
■ Turn off the air-conditioning and shut all the air vents.
■ Turn your car engine off.
■ Get down as low as possible below window level and cover up with a woollen blanket. Impacts in your area Grassfires can generate extreme heat. Heat will kill you before the flames reach you. There is a traffic management point in place at Yea Spur Rd and Whittlesea-Yea Rd. Check the VicTraffic website ( traffic.vicroads. vic.gov.au/) or call 13 11 70 for road closures. - Vic Emergency
Page 2 - The Local Paper - Wednesday, February 22, 2023 www.LocalPaper.com.au
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Supermarket. 1/402 Warrandyte Rd.
a Flowerdale backdrop, to report on the fires in the Tuesday night TV bulletin.
● ● Large plumes of smoke were able to be seen across Flowerdale-Yea.
Broadcaster links
■ Local residents were advised to keep in touch with the latest developments of the fire through thge official emergency broadcaster, UGFM.
Local frequencies are:
■ Flowerdale/Kinglake, 98.FM
■ Yea/Highlands, 88.9FM
■ Kinglake, 94.5FM
■ Alexandra/Lake Eildon, 106.9FM
■ Marysville/Lake Mountain, 98.5FM
Watch and act
■ ‘Watch and act’ and ‘stay near shelter’ alerts were issued for Dairy Creek, Homewood, Kerrisdale and Strath Creek, with the 11.48pm Tuesday warning (updated from 8.20pm) saying that residents of those areas should prepare to leave. “ Conditions may change and get worse very quickly. Continue to stay informed and monitor conditions.” Residents, if away from their homes, were advised not to return to their properties.
Locals on TV news
■ Flowerdale locals Dave Harris and Noah Harris appeared on the 7News reports compiled by Blake Johnson and Sara Jones. Sarah Austin appeared in the Nine News report presented from Strath Creek by Adam Hegarty.
‘Leave now’, Yea told
■ An 11.47pm alert, updated from 8.20pm, told Yea and Flowerdale residents to ‘Watch and Act - Leave Now’.
“The fire is travelling in a northernly direction and has crossed Carver Creek and is moving towards Yea Spur Road. Firefighters, heavy machinery and aircraft are working in the area.
“Don't wait - if you are not prepared to stay, leaving now is the safest option. Conditions may change and get worse very quickly. Emergency services may not be able to help you if you decide to stay.”
Flowerdale save
■ Ausra Larbey of Flowerdale posted on social media: “ CFA saved our main house and the shed today. The fire went through our property, everything around the house has burned down. Forever grateful to CFA. You are legends. I will donate even more from now on. We all are safe.”
Michelle Laucius said: “The big shed and stables are OK. The small horse shelters are gone. We are OK. Thank you so much.”
Council under fire
■ Murrindindi Shire Council came under fire from some Yea residents on Tuesday, some believing there had not been enough communication about location of evacuation centres.
A Council media post said: “If a relief centre is organised, we'll share updates on our Facebook page.”
Some residents said that if fires struck, electricity supply was likely to be cut, and they were not going to be able to use battery power to check various internet sites.
Road closures
■ Kinglake resident Vicki Ruhr posted on social media: “Apparently, there are reports of local residents returning home from work that are being met with road closure signage and nil other info (for example, at the Whittlesea- Kinglake Rd intersection, Kinglake West), so are unsure of what to do/ where to go whilst the fire emergency is continuing.
“Shouldn’t the Kinglake Community Centre be opened for any displaced/affected local residents? Particularly given the time of day and the fire emergency being a major event & very likely to be continuing overnight/for an indefinite period?
“Opening a Relief Centre is one of the specific roles of Murrindindi Shire Council during an emergency event isn’t it?” Ms Ruhr said on Facebook.
Risk area expands
■ The Flowerdale fire, for which an alert was first issued at 3.56pm Tuesday (Feb. 21), had the potential to quickly expand north into areas including Dairy Creek, Homwood, Kerrisdale and Strath Creek, authorities said.
Warnings for Yea residents to leave were issued as firefighters continued to battle the blaze.
Residents of areas more distant - including Ghin Ghin, Whiteheads Creek and even Avenel - were advised to stay informed about the fire.
Aircraft were used to drop water on the hot spots, and continued their activity into Tuesday night.
An Incident Control Centre was established at Alexandra, but there had been no call for a relief centre.
Elsewhere, 12 vehicles attended to a two-hectare west of Jamieson.
Choppers drop water
Editor: Ash Long
Features Editor: Peter Mac
Columnists: Len Baker, Matt Bissett-Johnson, Rob Foenander, Mike McColl Jones, Peter Kemp, Aaron Rourke, Jim Sherlock, Ted Ryan, Cheryl Threadgold, Julie Houghton, Kevin Trask, Gavin Wood, John O’Keefe
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www.LocalPaper.com.au The Local Paper - Wednesday, February 22, 2023 - Page 3 Fire Emergency Local Briefs
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● ● Vic Emergency’s map showing fire hot spots.
● There were dramatic scenes as helicopters dropped water at trouble spots.
●
● ● ● Volunteer irefighters and landholders fought the blaze.
Photo: 7News.
www.LocalPaper.com.au Page 4 - The Local Paper - Wednesday, February 22, 2023