Fires burning in Victoria and South Australia today have resulted in large amounts of smoke drifting across the state.
Victorian firefighters have been working tirelessly over the past 24 hours due to extreme weather which resulted in a Total Fire Ban Day state wide.
As of 5pm yesterday (5 January) to 5pm today (6 January) crews attended over 139 fires, of which 114 were grass and scrub fires.
The increased fire activity has generated large amounts of smoke which may be visible in the West, North West, South East and South West.
A significant amount of smoke from the bushfire in South Australia is drifting into the Mallee, Wimmera and Northern Country with reports of ash falling in Ouyen.
The late wind change has contributed to pushing smoke from the fires further east across the state.
Residents in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne may also experience smoke in the air as a result of a fire in dense scrub at Carrum Downs today.
CFA is urging all Victorians to take care as smoke can reduce air quality and may affect people’s health.
For information about how bushfire smoke can affect health and how to reduce exposure, visit health.vic.gov.au or call the VicEmergency Hotline on 1800 226 226.
People with asthma, or other conditions that make them susceptible to the effects of smoke, are advised to consider staying indoors, reducing their exercise, taking their medications and following their asthma plan. Those experiencing symptoms should seek medical advice or contact Nurse-On-Call on 1300 606 024.
Never rely on one source to receive emergency information. You can stay informed via:
- www.emergency.vic.gov.au.
- Tune in to ABC Local Radio, commercial and designated community radio stations, or Sky News TV.
- Call the VicEmergency Hotline to talk to someone about this warning on freecall 1800 226 226
- People who are deaf, hard of hearing, or who have a speech/communication impairment can contact VicEmergency Hotline via the National Relay Service on 1800 555 677.
- For help with English, call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 (freecall) and ask them to telephone VicEmergency Hotline. If you know someone who cannot speak English, provide them with this number.
- Download the VicEmergency app or follow VicEmergency on Twitter (#vicfires) or Facebook.