Victoria has entered what authorities describe as the most perilous phase of an unfolding bushfire emergency, with a volatile wind change, extreme heat and multiple active fires threatening communities across the state. Premier Jacinta Allan warned late Friday that the hours ahead would be “the most dangerous and difficult,” as emergency services raced to contain blazes that have already destroyed homes, injured firefighters and left three people unaccounted for.
Speaking on Friday evening, Allan urged residents to strictly follow emergency advice as conditions deteriorated. “Fires continue to unfold right across the state,” she said, warning that the combination of shifting winds, intense heat and nightfall would create unpredictable and life-threatening conditions. She encouraged Victorians to stay connected through local radio, the VicEmergency app and regular contact with family and friends, stressing that timely information could save lives.
At the State Control Centre, David Nugent said a forecast north-westerly wind change began sweeping across Victoria on Friday afternoon, rapidly intensifying several fires. One of the most concerning was a fast-moving grassfire near Natimuk, about 25 kilometres west of Horsham, where temperatures reached a scorching 43 degrees Celsius. “With these hot temperatures and the winds, it makes it really difficult for our firefighters,” Nugent said.
Multiple fires were burning simultaneously across the state. A grassfire at Streatham was impacting the town of Skipton, west of Ballarat, while another blaze near Bamganie threatened Meredith, an area well known for hosting a major annual music festival. Closer to Melbourne, a grassfire near Avalon College was brought under control, but not before triggering emergency warnings and stretching already-thin firefighting resources.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned that wind gusts could reach up to 125 kilometres per hour in parts of Victoria, a dangerous factor capable of driving flames rapidly and changing fire fronts without warning. Duty forecaster Morgan Pumper said the mix of heat, wind and existing fires posed a serious risk. “When we mix it with the heat that we have and the fires in the landscape, it’s not going to be a good thing,” she said.
Late on Friday night, the Bureau issued an update indicating that strong winds were beginning to ease across western and central Victoria as a cool change moved through. However, officials cautioned that damaging gusts were still likely to persist over alpine areas into Saturday morning, keeping conditions hazardous in higher terrain.
One of the most devastating blazes continued to burn out of control near Longwood in central Victoria. By Friday afternoon, three people — a man, a woman and a child from Longwood East — remained unaccounted for. Nugent said emergency services were hopeful they could still be located, but concerns were growing. Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Bob Hill earlier revealed that firefighters had spoken with the trio on Thursday morning and warned them it was too late to leave. When crews returned later, the house near where they had been standing was completely destroyed.
The Longwood fire has caused severe damage in the town of Ruffy, about 175 kilometres north of Melbourne, where community and residential buildings have been lost. Felicity Sloman, a community safety officer with the Ruffy Country Fire Authority, said at least 20 homes had been destroyed. A CFA firefighter from the town was hospitalised after suffering third-degree burns to his hands.
Local CFA captain George Noye described the destruction as overwhelming. “The town’s been impacted severely,” he said. “The main street looks like a bomb’s gone off.” Volunteer firefighter Darryl Otzen returned from days on the fireground to find his own home destroyed. “It’s a bit shit when you’ve been out for two-and-a-half days and you come back on the truck and drive past what used to be your house,” he said.
Farmers in the region also reported heavy losses. Chris McDermott said he managed to save two houses on his property, but his relatives living nearby were not as fortunate. One lost his home, machinery and vehicles, while another lost sheds used for hay and shearing. Both also lost livestock.
Elsewhere, emergency warnings were issued for numerous towns, including Buxton and Marysville — communities tragically scarred by the Black Saturday fires of 2009. Residents were urged to evacuate as authorities warned a wind change could force fires to shift direction, making conditions “very dangerous and unpredictable.”
Power outages compounded the crisis, with more than 70,000 properties without electricity by late Friday afternoon due to strong winds, lightning and fire damage to infrastructure.
In the state’s north-east, a major bushfire burning west of Walwa prompted evacuation warnings for areas around Corryong, near the New South Wales border. The fire had already burned about 20,000 hectares and was so intense it generated its own weather system, producing lightning and thunder. Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said large areas of mature pine plantation had been affected, though no property losses had yet been reported there.
Wiebusch described the situation as “catastrophic,” noting that a severe to extreme heatwave combined with damaging winds and storms had pushed fire danger to the highest level across four regions — the first such warning since the Black Summer fires of 2019–20.
Premier Allan stressed that staying to defend property was not a brave choice under such conditions. “You will not win against fires of this magnitude,” she said. She confirmed that emergency relief payments would be made available for residents in several affected local government areas, with further assistance expected as the crisis evolves.
