A Total Fire Ban (TFB) has been declared for tomorrow, Friday 10th January 2020 for the Mallee, Northern Country, North Central. North East, East Gippsland, West and South Gippsland.
A TFB means that no fires can be lit in the open air or be allowed to remain alight in the open air, including campfires and burn offs, between midnight tonight and 11.59pm tomorrow.
There are also a number of municipalities across the state with fire restrictions in place and these can be sourced from the Country Fire Authority website.
More than 1,000 firefighters continue to work on building containment lines for the 23 going fires that have burned over 1.2 million hectares.
Victoria is bracing for worsening fire conditions tomorrow particularly in East Gippsland and North East of the state.
The Declaration for a State of Disaster has been extended for a further 48 hours in East Gippsland Shire, Mansfield Shire, Wellington Shire, Wangaratta Rural Shire, Towong Shire and Alpine Shire. The Mount Buller, Mount Hotham and Mount Stirling and Falls Creek Alpine Resorts are also included in the State of Disaster area.
Information about relief centres is available at http://www.emergency.vic.gov.au/relief.
Authorities are strongly encouraging communities and visitors in East Gippsland and the North East to leave while it is safe to do so.
Authorities are also asking the community to avoid travelling to East Gippsland and the Upper Murray or Alpine areas.
Always use multiple sources to stay informed during an emergency:
• www.emergency.vic.gov.au
• VicEmergency Hotline - freecall 1800 226 226.
• VicEmergency app.
• Facebook or Twitter (#vicfires).
• Tune in to ABC Local Radio, commercial and designated community radio stations, or Sky News TV.
-ENDS-
State Control Centre Media
Email: sccvic.media@scc.vic.gov.au
Web: www.emergency.vic.gov.au
Tel: 1300 232 633
Relevant agency media lines will be forwarded to the SCC during operations.