BURNING AGAIN

* Lightning strikes ignite several fires in Bunyip State Park Friday afternoon * Fires quickly merge * 11,500ha burnt * 7 buildings destroyed * Smoke column 8km high “We have had a very, very complex fire to deal with” - Trevor Owen, CFA

Horrific weather conditions contributed to making the Bunyip State Park fire being “very, very complex” and very difficult to plan and fight.

CFA assistant chief officer said he had worked on fires in the Bunyip State Park in 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2009 but conditions on the weekend made it a “very, very complex fire to deal with.”

“It is very large and uncontrollable and it will remain uncontrollable for some weeks. Our main aim continues to be asset protection and protecting as many assets as we can.

“We have 110 appliances and 850 firefighters on the ground do their upmost best to save properties and save lives.

“It’s been an incredibly difficult fire to deal with,” he said.

Hundreds of people gathered at Drouin for community meetings on Sunday and yesterday morning.

The key message between the two meetings was strikingly different, and certainly welcoming.

On Sunday the meeting focussed on the challenging day ahead and a fire that was a “dynamic situation” according to deputy incident controller Dan White.

Yesterday, community members welcomed news that the imminent threat was over.

The fire is now 11,500 hectares in size and seven buildings have been confirmed lost. It is unknown how many of those structure are houses, sheds or other infrastructure.

It is estimated between 700 and 800 properties have been impacted by fire.

Mr White said improved weather conditions and the forecast for milder conditions over the next few days were working in their favour.

“The risk is reducing. There is still a risk but nothing like what we saw in the last few days. The risk of it making a run is much reduced, but that is not to say it won’t.

“You will still see runs of fire but we have a lot of resources on the edge to fight that.

“But it is important you don’t become complacent, there is still a lot of fire edge and a lot of fire risk,” he said.

The key priority for firefighters on the front will be fighting the boundary of the fire and getting access back into the burnt out area.

“The priority for today is the key access and main north south roads like Garfield Rd, Tonimbuk Rd and Tynong North Rd; and, ultimately we have to clear peoples’ driveways.

“Our priority is to get access to burnt areas to assess damage and make contact with people who stayed and have been impacted,” he said.

Mr White said authorities also were doing everything they could to clear roads and make areas safe for residents to return to their homes.

Mr Owen urged residents to “remain patient” in getting back to their homes and properties.

“We have strike teams that have to remain in there (the fire front) and haven’t been fed since yesterday because they can’t get out.

“We have to make sure the environment you are going into is safe.

Changing landscape

Mr White said firefighters were faced with a torrid day on Sunday.

“As it turned out, the weather was kind to us. It took a significant run to the south, it came out of the forest, came out of the park and down onto private land.

“Our crews did an outstanding job holding the fire north of the freeway and holding the fire.

Mr White said they were expecting winds up to 60km/h at 5pm on Sunday. He said those winds didn’t hit the fireground until 8pm when the heat of the day had passed.

“The wind didn’t peak as high as predicted so we didn’t see the spread to the east and north east as expected.

“But the reality is there is several weeks of work in pulling that fire up. It will not go out by itself and there is no sign of significant rain,” he said.