BUSHFIRES at Colignan and south of Boinka on the Mallee Highway triggered watch and act and stay informed warnings from authorities on Friday.
The warnings came as temperatures in Sunraysia pushed into the mid 40s for the third day in a row with a total fire ban in place across Victoria
The fire at Big Desert, 10 kilometres south of Boinka, began on Thursday evening and was placed under the control of Forest Fire Management Victoria with support from Country Fire Authority units from Murrayville, Cowangie, and Underbool.
At its peak at 1pm on Friday 16 units had been dedicated to the bushfire which had grown to almost 60 hectares in size.
The area was under a watch and act warning advising people at Big Desert, Boinka, Linga and Underbool to monitor the changing conditions and people
The fire initially ran through paddocks along the side of Morrison Road before making its way to public land toward Wyperfeld National Park in a south-easterly direction.
An expected wind change was forecast for Friday afternoon and predicted to drive the fire north-east towards private property along Worooa Road and back out of Wyperfeld.
Meanwhile early on Friday afternoon a grass fire ignited at Colignan near the intersection of Brown Road and Regent Drive before running south into Hattah-Kulkyne National Park
Authorities were quick to respond, pouring at least 17 appliances and crews on the fire as of 1.45pm, and issuing a stay informed order for Colignan, Hattah, and Nangiloc with the fire listed as not yet under control as of publication.
The local fires came as authorities battled blazes across the state including at Natimuk west of Horsham, multiple fires between St Arnaud and Maryborough, the Goulburn Valley and in the Victoria’s High Country, as well as at Ravenswood south -west of Bendigo, Streatham west of Ballarat, Mount Mercer south of Ballarat, and Thologolong east of Albury/ Wodonga.
By far the biggest event in Victoria was the Longwood complex of fires between Seymour and Euroa east of the Hume Freeway with hundreds of fire units and thousands of firefighters involved in the battle, as well as take shelter and evacuation orders in place, and the freeway cut.
Updates on fires across the state can be found via the Emergency Victoria website and smart phone app as well as via emergency broadcasters ABC Local Radio, commercial and designated community radio stations, and/ or Sky News TV.
Saturday 10 January is a day of total fire ban in all regions of Victoria, including the Mallee with the fire danger rating in the Mallee listed as high.
