State of Play as Catastrophic Fire Conditions Loom

Firefighters are focused on preventing deaths as Victoria braces to confront catastrophic conditions on Feb. 28.

Firemen return to Briagolong base camp after battling bushfires on December 10, 2006 in Melbourne, Australia. Thirty-seven bushfires, thought to have been sparked by lightning, have joined together to become 15 large fires. They have burned approximately 90,000 hectares of scrub and forest and continue to spread in the southern Australian state of Victoria. Officials predict the fires might burn out as much as 600,000 hectares by next week. Several villages and properties are under threat from the advancing fire front. The Bureau of Meteorology expects temperatures to reach over 37 degrees Celcius on Saturday in the areas affected by the fire, making fire fighting extremely difficult. Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

FIRE DANGER RATINGS

* Catastrophic fire danger rating for Wimmera district, towards Victoria’s border with South Australia, including Horsham, Stawell and Warracknabeal

* Extreme fire danger for Mallee, South West, Central, North Central and Northern Country districts

* Peak fire conditions expected later on Wednesday through to midnight and homes are not designed to withstand those conditions

* Half of Victoria is facing high fire danger rating

TOTAL FIRE BANS

* Mallee, Wimmera, South West, Northern Country, North Central and Central

* No fires can be lit, or be allowed to remain alight, in the open air on Wednesday from 12.01am until 11.59pm

FORECASTED TEMPERATURES

* Temperatures expected to reach mid-40C in northwestern Victoria

* Many parts of the state expected to reach high 30C

* Wind gusts of between 30-40km/h to reach 60-80km/h on Wednesday afternoon

* Dry lightning expected through large parts of Victoria

ADVICE FOR THOSE NEAR BAYINDEEN FIRE

* Rocky Road fire near Beaufort has burned more than 21,000ha

* Beaufort, Elmhurst, Amphitheatre, Lexton, Learmonth and Clunes continue to face heightened fire risk

* Fire remains active and is expected to run again on Wednesday heading south but can swing around with wind changes

* Fires, spot fires and ember attacks resulting in loss of homes, road closures and isolated communities

* People urged to leave on Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning

* About 30,000 people living in the area will receive emergency alerts on their mobile phones urging them to leave

* Vulnerable communities, including aged care, have already moved out of danger areas

*Two emergency relief centres operating in Maryborough and Ararat

ADVICE FOR THOSE IN THE WIMMERA

* Activate fire plan and prepare to leave

* Go to regional cities or Melbourne and stay with family and friends

* Organise accommodation outside of area or take caravan away

* Grampians National Park, the Wild State Forest and the Little Desert National Park closed because of catastrophic fire rating

* Steer clear of public land on Wednesday

ADVICE FOR CENTRAL DISTRICT

* Grass fires are the main risk

* Melbourne’s outskirts, including western and northern suburbs, at risk of fast-moving grass fires

FOR THOSE PLANNING TO LEAVE

* People living in catastrophic and extreme bushfire risk areas asked to leave and to leave early on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning before lunchtime

* Have bushfire go-kit ready with plans on routes to take

* Have three days worth of food and water supplies

* Have a transistor radio with batteries in the event of loss of power and internet connectivity

* Have important papers and information ready to go

PREPARE PROPERTIES FOR FIRE

* Mow the lawn

* Remove grass doormats from front and back doors

* Clear gutters

* Trim overhanging trees

EMERGENCY FIRE FIGHTING ASSISTANCE

* 66 aircraft on standby to help in aerial firefighting, stationed around Ballarat and Halls Gap areas

* Large air tanker placed at Avalon and Blackhawk helicopter placed at Essendon

* Aircraft placed along the northern Victoria border and a large air tanker in Adelaide are on standby for support

* 105 firefighters from NSW, which includes five strike teams and 25 fire trucks, positioned in Ballarat and Ballan

* Incident management team from NSW to be stationed in Halls Gap