THOUSANDS of Victorians are on alert as a monster blaze, which has claimed one life, several homes and almost 50,000 hectares of land, continues to rage.
An 80-year-old man perished in his car in the driveway of a home in the Gippsland town of Seaton yesterday - the state's worst bushfire day since Black Saturday.
Victorians are today bracing to fight further fires.
Emergency services fear it could take weeks to control the blaze, about 200km east of Melbourne, which has destroyed more than 48,000 hectares.
Up to 10 homes are believed to have been claimed by the fire, which took fire services by surprise by quadrupling in size in a matter of hours.
The tiny town of Licola continued to come under threat and was completely cut off last night as the fire raged around it.Late last night the CFA said the fires in Coongulla, Heyfield, Seaton, Glenmaggie and Dawson were listed as controlled.
Families evacuated from Coongulla and Glenmaggie, as well as Heyfield and Seaton, were last night hoping to learn their homes survived.
Five homes in Seaton and Glenmaggie were confirmed lost, though firefighters expect more have also been destroyed.
Fire rages at Dawson, keeping fire crews busy. Picture: Nicole Garmston
Incident controller Bill Johnstone said the fire could burn for weeks.
"Given the conditions it's probably about as bad as it can get," he said.
"We've got a number of concerns about not only the run of the fire today, but subsequent days after it.
"We reckon three days of fairly dynamic fire behaviour; we're going to try and stitch this up, but we're settling in for a fairly protracted fire fight."
Victorian police say the body of a man has been found in a burnt-out car in Seaton.
GALLERY: See the devastation from the air
PICTURES: The firefight on the ground
AERIAL VIEW: Blaze leaves path of destruction
Mr Johnstone said Licola was still under threat after winds turned in a westerly direction.
Property of a deceased man on Johnsons Lane in Seaton. Picture: Aaron Francis
Up to 30 Licola residents were unable to leave the town yesterday and could be cut off for another day.
Ten Licola residents were still in the town late last night along with 28 CFA crew.
The CFA could not say what lay ahead for the tiny settlement in the coming days, with smoke and spot fires hindering efforts to survey the area.
Trapped on his farm, Licola sheep farmer Rob Gilder said he was terrified.
Properties were lost at Heyfield but most of the town escaped the flames, while many locals left. Picture: Nicole Garmiston
"We are in grave danger here. The small community is completely cut off," he said.
If the blaze cannot be controlled there are concerns it could continue as fires did in 2007, when they burned for more than two months.
Amazing tales of survival have begun to emerge, including that of a family of five who were trapped in their Seaton home but managed to escape unharmed.
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This property was destroyed by fire at Seaton earlier today. Picture: Lawrence Pinder
A CFA crew also had to shelter in their tanker as the fire passed over the vehicle.
The blaze was fuelled by wind changes throughout the day. More than 425 firefighter personnel in 70 CFA and DSE tankers, as well as 13 aircraft, battled a 6km fire front which spread in two directions.
Their task was made more difficult by constant spotting up to 8km away, igniting dozens of blazes.
Fire warnings for Hayfield in Victoria and surrounding areas are very extreme.
Premier Ted Baillieu visited the incident control centre in Heyfield to thank firefighters, warning the fast-moving fire presented a significant risk.
"This is obviously a very big fire. In barely more than 24 hours this fire has grown from nothing to more than 40,000 ha," Mr Baillieu said.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she would work with the State Government to help those affected by fires.
"I want to say to anybody who's in that position, the Australian people are thinking of you, and people will be there to support (you)," she said.
Fire ripped through a property on Fogerty Rd, Seaton, destroying a shed and vehicles. Picture: Nicole Garmston
Weather bureau senior forecaster Rod Dixon said firefighters in Victoria's east would benefit from cooler conditions today.
Temperatures were expected to stay in the mid-20s with south to south-westerly winds reaching speeds of about 20km/h.
But temperatures would climb next week, hitting the low-30s on Monday before peaking again on Thursday.
The fire, which began as a small blaze at Aberfeldy shortly after noon on Thursday, flared up at 3.30pm yesterday when it began spotting up to 8km ahead of the fire front.
A property spared from fire between Glenmaggie and Seaton. Picture: Lawrence Pinder
Within four hours the fire had grown to 20,000 ha with a 6km fire front.
Authorities are still investigating how the blaze started.
Watching from his Gippsland property, Ricky Barrett could barely believe the sight of the fires.
"It's unbelievable to see the whole sky light up. We knew it was heading this way. And then the wind came and sort of took it towards Heyfield and all those sorts of areas over there," he said.
STAY SAFE
The Herald Sun has joined with fire authorities to keep Victorians informed. Check out the Bushfire Ready page for the latest advice, warnings and videos from the CFA. This page is updated with the latest warnings from across the state. Save it to your bookmarks. You can access it from our homepage (click on Bushfire Ready) from any computer. This service is not available on smart phones.
Check live weather information - including fire warnings - on your computer AND smart phone at our Weather page. Just add m.heraldsun.com.au to your smart phone bookmarks and follow the View weather forecast link.
The CFA has a live fire map. Check it out here and add to your bookmarks.
The Herald Sun will keep you informed throughout the heatwave. Check back regularly for weather information, reader photos and fire warnings on your PC and mobile. Reports and alerts will also be posted to our Facebook page and from our official Twitter account.
For general bushfire information
Stay informed
- ABC Local Radio, commercial and designated community radio stations or watching Sky News TV
- Deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech/communication impairment can contact VBIL via the National Relay Service on 1800 555 677
- Road closures: Check www.vicroads.vic.gov.au
- Tourists: Stay away from listed areas
- For life or property threatening threatening emergencies: Phone 000
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