Vol. No. Vol. 2618No. 3127
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Wednesday,February January 14, 13, 2024 2016 Wednesday,
IT’S-A-ME... Baylen Domaschenz and Archer Ferguson dress as Nintendo’s Luigi and Mario at Edenhope’s 2024 Henley on Lake Wallace street parade on Saturday. It was the 101st year of the event, which included many family-friendly games and entertainment followed by fireworks above the lake. Pictures, page 29. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
Fire crews battle
T
BY LAUREN HENRY
wo bushfires in the Grampians National Park remained out of control late yesterday, prompting emergency warnings to several communities advising residents it was too late to leave.
The fires came after emergency services warned yesterday would be the worst fire-risk day for five years, with a catastrophic fire warning for the Wimmera. A Total Fire Ban, TFB, declaration was made for the Wimmera, Mallee, Northern Country, Central, South
West and North Central fire weather districts. Temperatures in the high 30s, and as high as 41 in the northern Wimmera, combined with windy conditions, including gusts of up to 98 kilometres at Mt William, and dry lightning made conditions ripe for fires. A bushfire at Terraces Fire Line, east of Lake Bellfield, prompted an emergency warning in the early afternoon for Bellfield Settlement, Halls Gap, Pomonal, Bellfield and Lake Fyans. At about 3.30pm, after a wind change, an emergency warning, with advice that it was too late for people to
leave, was issued for Bellfield, Lake Fyans and Pomonal. A watch and act message was also issued for Jallukar, Lake Fyans and Pomonal. A bushfire, which started south-east of Mt Stapylton, within the Grampians National Park, caused an emergency warning at 3.45pm for Dadswells Bridge, Ledcourt and Roses Gap, again with advice that it was too late to leave and for those communities to take shelter. Authorities closed the Western Highway between Horsham and Warracknabeal-Stawell Road intersection.
Late yesterday, the fire had crossed the highway and impacted parts of Dadswells Bridge, with the fire travelling east and threatening homes. An emergency warning was issued for the communities of Dadswells Bridge, Glenorchy, Ledcourt, Roses Gap, St Helens Plains and Wal Wal. State Control Centre spokesperson James Todd said there were no reports of any loss of houses or buildings, as of late yesterday. Water bombers flew from Avalon to help ground crews with the fire-fighting effort, which involved a multiagency response with fire fighters
from Forest Fire Management Victoria, Parks Victoria and the Country Fire Authority, CFA. “They have good access to Lake Bellfield and Lake Wartook in the north. There was a lot of activity, particularly with choppers, picking up water and dumping their loads,” he said. Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent said it had been a ‘very challenging day’, with hundreds of volunteers required to fight the fires. Continued page 3
IN THIS ISSUE • Hindmarsh priorities • Surge in haystack fires • Sports star awards Phone: 03 5382 1351 Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
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