Aussie Firefighters battle 250 Wild Fire blazes
Pastor Dale Morgan
Aussie Firefighters battle 250 Wild Fire blazes*
October 12, 2006 05:52pm
Article from: AAP
AUSTRALIA - HUNDREDS of firefighters have battled blistering heat and
strong winds as more than 250 fires broke out across Victoria today.
By 4pm, 258 fires were burning as the mercury hit 36.5 degrees celsius
in Melbourne - the hottest October day in almost 100 years.
The most severe fires are at Gippsland in the state's east, the only
part of the state where a total fire ban has not been declared.
Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) firefighters are
battling a blaze in remote bushland 12km north-west of Erica that has
burned 400ha and continues to rage out of control.
It is being pushed south by 50kph gusts.
DSE spokesman Duncan Pendrigh has said the fire is too intense for
firefighters to battle head-on and high winds ruled out an aircraft attack.
"It's burning in very rugged country in state forest, there's been very
extreme fire behaviour today with fire height going to 10 metres and
crowning (reaching tree tops)," Mr Pendrigh has said.
At Yallourn North, east of Moe, two relief centres have been set up to
shelter schoolchildren trapped by road closures as a 24ha fire bears
down on the town.
Country Fire Authority deputy chief officer Geoff Evans has said
firefighters are focused on asset protection, but no homes are directly
under threat.
A third Gippsland fire near Morwell has scorched 1.5 square kilometres
and is expected to burn for several days, Mr Evans has said.
At Sulky, near Ballarat, in central Victoria, a fire is threatening a
pine plantation, while a timber yard in North Geelong is also ablaze,
posing a risk to surrounding industry.
Mr Evans has said the fire danger is far from over.
"(There's) still very strong winds and the temperatures are still up and
we've just spoken to the (weather) bureau and the (forecast) change is a
very subtle variation ... it doesn't give us much relief.
"It's really unseasonal weather and is causing us considerable difficulty."
A total fire ban has been declared for the north-eastern district for
tomorrow.
Meanwhile, CFA deputy chief fire officer Graeme Fountain has defended
the CFA's decision not to include Gippsland in today's fire ban.
"It was borderline, we made the decision not to call a total fire ban in
Gippsland," Mr Fountain has said on ABC radio.
"What we need to remember (is) Gippsland is a very, very large area and
(in) far-east Gippsland we've got relatively high relative humidity and
temperatures in the mid 20s.
"Whilst hindsight's a wonderful thing ... we chose not to declare it a
day of total fire ban in Gippsland for today."