People living in Pomonal, Lake Fyans and Bellfield have been told it is too late to evacuate as the blaze threatens homes.
Areas east of Pomonal are also at risk, emergency services warned at about 5.30pm.
Smoke from a bushfire in the Grampians National Park earlier on Tuesday.
Residents of the area east of Mount William Creek, including Mokepilly, Bellellen and Jallukar, have been advised to evacuate.
A second bushfire burning near Mount Stapylton, travelling in a south-easterly direction.
Heffernan said both Grampians blazes remained out of control and that there were still strong winds and high temperatures in the region.
Emergency Victoria said the second blaze is impacting private property near Dadswells Bridge.
By 7pm, the fire has crossed the Western Highway and was near Mount William Creek north of Dadswells Bridge.
Residents in Dadswells Bridge, Glenorchy, Ledcourt, Roses Gap, St Helens Plains and Wal Wal were advised to take shelter.
“Fire conditions are now dangerous and unpredictable. This fire is threatening homes and lives. It is too late to leave,” emergency services said.
An emergency relief centre has been established at the Grampians Community Health Centre and at Alexandra Oval in Ararat.
Emergency services warn of bushfire near Ballarat
Residents living in several townships near Ballarat were advised to leave their homes at about 7pm, due to a bushfire at Newtown.
Emergency services advised the fire had spread into the Ross Creek State Forest at about 7.30pm.
The bushfire is travelling from Italian Gully Road in a northerly direction towards Scarsdale and Woodland Drive including Skipper Road.
Residents in Newtown, Ross Creek, Scarsdale, Smythesdale and Italian Gully were advised to leave their homes.
“Don’t wait, leaving now is the safest option – conditions may change and get worse very quickly.
“Emergency services may not be able to help you if you decide to stay. By choosing to stay, you and your family may be at risk of serious injury or death,” the warning said.
Thunderstorms cause major power outages
The thunderstorm that hit parts of Melbourne brought hail as it travelled south-east towards the city on Tuesday afternoon.
Residents in Highett, Altona North and Hampton were among those who reported hail as big as golf balls shortly after 2pm.
As the storm battered the city, the temperature at Melbourne’s Olympic Park dropped from a peak of 35.8 degrees at 1.30pm to 23 degrees by 6pm.
Meteorologist Kevin Parkyn said severe thunderstorms with the potential for damaging winds were expected to continue into Tuesday evening.
A thunderstorm warning was issued for parts of East Gippsland at about 6pm, the Bureau of Meteorology warning Bairnsdale and the Gippsland Lakes region were at risk from destructive winds. The warning was cancelled at about 8.30pm.
At 7.45pm, VICSES had received more than 2200 calls for assistance since midday. Of those, 1800 were due to fallen trees and 400 were a result of building damage.
A spokesperson said the number was continuing to climb and there were a lot of people they were yet to get to.
The busiest SES volunteers in Victoria were members of the Monash unit, which had responded to 288 calls for help in Melbourne’s south-east. The Emerald unit had responded to 154 calls for assistance in the Dandenong Ranges and the Corio unit had responded to 123 calls.
The spokesperson said phone operators were struggling to answer all the calls coming through. They said it was likely to be an extensive clean-up over the next few days.
Half a million Victorian homes were blacked out as the extreme weather brought down power lines and the state’s largest coal generator, forcing the energy market operator to order electricity be shut off to some houses.
Powercor and CitiPower crews responded to more than 400 different faults across western and central Victoria, as well as Melbourne’s inner suburbs.
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The areas with the most properties without power include Geelong and the Surf Coast, Ballarat, Maryborough and Melbourne’s western suburbs.
The energy provider said a combination of extreme temperatures, strong winds and thousands of lightning strikes caused damage to poles, wires and other electrical infrastructure.
“Throughout this afternoon and into this evening, we are expecting more winds, storms and lightning to hits western and central Victoria and we are urging people to take steps to prepare for power outages now,” a spokesperson said.
AGL Energy’s Loy Yang coal plant went offline shortly after 2pm. The exact cause of the outage is still being investigated.
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra said four units had shut down at Loy Yang.
“It means that industry has already had its power reduced. People at home – may have their power compromised. Business will be paying the price as well in terms of power outages or reductions.”
The storm front as seen in Bentleigh East on Tuesday afternoon.Credit: James Kilpatrick
Roads flooded and transport disrupted across the network
A number of Melbourne roads were impacted by the storm, as water flooded roads and affected traffic.
Metro Trains advised people to defer travel in Melbourne on Tuesday afternoon and evening due to reports of storm damage across the network, as the concourse and platforms at Flinders Street Station overflowed with delayed peak-hour passengers. Passengers were advised to consider alternative transport options if possible.
Buses are replacing trains on several lines. Trains are impacted on sections of the Belgrave, Craigieburn, Cranbourne, Frankston, Glen Waverley and Pakenham lines.
V/Line services have been suspended on sections of the Gippsland, Seymour and Shepparton lines.
Replacement buses are expected to be delayed in their arrival on Tuesday afternoon, a spokesperson said.
Metro services are impacted on the following lines:
- Belgrave between Ringwood and Belgrave
- Craigieburn between Essendon and Craigieburn
- Cranbourne/Pakenham between Caulfield and Westall
- Frankston between Caulfield and Moorabbin
- Glen Waverley between Darling and Glen Waverley
- Lilydale between Ringwood and Mooroolbark
- Alamein between Camberwell and Alamein
Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent said lightning had started several fires across the state, particularly in the west, which were threatening homes.
Chaos for commuters at Flinders Street on Tuesday afternoon.Credit: Craig Platt
“We have seen a very challenging day today, with very, very hot, windy and dry conditions across the state,” he said.
“We’re seeing significant hail in a number of areas, with very, very strong winds to such a degree that they’ve even brought down some powerlines.”
A catastrophic fire rating was issued for the Wimmera for Tuesday. Melbourne and the western half of the state are under a total fire ban.
West Wimmera Mayor Tim Meyer told 3AW on Tuesday morning that schools and kindergartens had shut, which annoyed some residents.
Emergency management commissioner Rick Nugent said aircraft had been deployed to high-risk areas.
The heatwave that began on Saturday is expected to peter out on Wednesday, when the maximum temperature is predicted to fall to 19 degrees.
A catastrophic fire warning was last issued during the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20, when 33 people died, 3000 homes were destroyed and more than 17 million hectares of land were burnt.
Heffernan, the CFA chief, told 3AW on Tuesday morning that Victoria had yet to experience any significant rainfall in February after wet weather hit the state earlier this summer.
With Hannah Kennelly
Source Agencies
