A family in Victoria is missing after a massive bushfire ripped through their home, as others are warned it’s too late to leave in the catastrophic conditions and a pet shelter erupts into flames.
A fire at Longwood, 150km north of Melbourne, has been burning since Wednesday, with strong winds and high temperatures hampering firefighting efforts.
Police are searching for a man, woman and a child who were advised by fire services on Thursday to take shelter, as it was too late to leave safely.
‘Later that afternoon, those same fire service representatives reattended that area to see the house,’ Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Bob Hill said on Friday.
‘They saw those three people standing in front of [it, and it] had been completely destroyed. Those three people remain unaccounted for.
‘Those three people, we do not know at this point in time where they may be.
‘That particular area in Longwood East where that house has been destroyed is still a hotspot, and we’re yet to be able to put the strike teams from the fire service into that area to conduct an assessment for us.’
He said firefighters are prioritising efforts to return to the property to ‘hopefully identify and find those three people safe and well’.
Officers are searching for a family of three in Longwood, who were last seen standing in front of their home which had been completely destroyed by a bushfire (pictured)
Residents in Ruffy shared photos of the sky red from flames and smoke
A photo taken by a passenger on a flight from Melbourne to Sydney flight showed a terrifying plume of smoke on Friday, illustrating the extent of the fires
Country Fire Authority (CFA) has declared a statewide total fire ban for Saturday as at least 30 fires burn across Victoria.
Catastrophic fire risk ratings have also been issued for the Northern Country, North Central, Wimmera and South West districts. The rest of Victoria – the Mallee, Central, North East, and Gippsland – are at ‘extreme risk’.
Authorities have warned it is ‘too late to leave’ for some communities near the Longwood fire, which has so far razed more than 48,000 hectares
A VicEmergency map shows the blaze’s impact zone has expanded, with forecasts predicting the fire front and embers could reach further by 11pm.
This included Whiteheads Creek, Avenel, Locksley, Creighton, Strathbogie, Tallangallook, Bonnie Doon, Lake Eildon, Thornton, Limestone, Yea and Alexandra.
Homes and lives are also being threatened by a fast-growing fire at Natimuk, west of Horsham, and a grassfire burning from the Murray Valley Highway near Cobram.
A separate fire near Walwa and Mount Lawson along the Victoria–NSW border has scorched more than 17,000 hectares.
Incident controller Aaron Kennedy said some Walwa locals have ignored instructions to leave and instead tried to save their homes.
‘Catastrophic’ fire risk ratings have been issued by the Country Fire Authority (CFA) for the Northern Country, North Central, Wimmera and South West districts
The Longwood blaze is pictured on Thursday night
The out-of-control blaze near Longwood, 150km north of Melbourne, has razed more than 35,000 hectares (pictured, devastation in the nearby town of Ruffy)
Smoke from the Longwood bushfire outside Seymour on the way to Yea in Victoria
‘A lot of the residents that we have spoken to – and Victoria Police has door-knocked many of them – have chosen to stay and defend their properties,’ he told the ABC.
‘That is not what we are recommending, particularly under today’s forecast conditions.
‘If you are unable to defend your property by yourself, without the support of emergency services, we are asking you to leave the area now.’
A ‘take shelter now’ warning has also been issued for Caveat, Creightons Creek, Dropmore, Gobur, Gooram, Highlands, Kanumbra, Kelvin View, Locksley, Longwood, Longwood East, Ruffy, Strathbogie, Tarcombe, Terip Terip and Upton Hill.
These areas fall within the Strathbogie Shire, home to 11,739 people.
A photo taken by a passenger on a flight from Melbourne to Sydney flight showed a terrifying plume of smoke on Friday.
Excavation and earthworks business owner Max Furlanetto, from Ruffy – one of the worst-hit communities in the Longwood fire – said there has been significant destruction of beloved buildings.
‘They’re sheds that have been around for 50 years… They’re not small things,’ he told the ABC, adding that he is trying to source more equipment to remove fallen trees in surrounding areas.
Ruffy, a locality in the Strathbogie Ranges about two hours from Melbourne, is one of the worst-affected areas of the Longwood fire
A community centre in Ruffy also caught fire
There were 30 active fires burning across Victoria on Friday morning
Emergency services gather at a staging area outside Seymour
After Tarcombe Animal Shelter was lost in the Longwood fire, a GoFundMe page has been set up to support the organisation’s owner and raised $6,000 so far.
‘[Owner Dr Robyn Coy] lost everything in the fire and it was not insured due to financial difficulties of self funding the shelter,’ the organiser wrote. ‘[She] and brothers almost lost their own lives in the fire sheltering with six joeys in a dam.’
Dr Coy’s brother-in-law, Paul Dunham, told ABC News that some of the animals had died when the shelter ‘erupted’.
‘Adult kangaroos that had been rehabilitated up to release, we lost most of them, 28 horses, 80 cows took off in front of us – they’re all gone,’ he said.
‘We got some babies out; some pouched wallabies and kangaroos.’
Smoke from the fires has spread to a large section of NSW’s southeast, including Snowy Monaro, Cooma, Bega and Merimbula.
‘It’s like a bomb has gone off, we got smashed by the fire spots,’ CFA captain George Noye told the ABC, adding a crew member had suffered third-degree burns to his hands.
There are at least 20 properties believed to be destroyed, including the Tablelands Community Centre – a local hub converted from the former primary school.
Some Victorians have been told it is too late to leave
Flowerdale resident Patricia Thomas is seen at a community relief centre in Seymour
‘The school no longer operates but it was a community hub for us where a lot of stuff took place… it’s absolutely devastating to see it go,’ he said.
‘We tried every trick in the book but we just couldn’t pull it up and when we knew Ruffy was gonna get impacted we fell back to the township.’
After briefly reopening on Friday morning, authorities had to close the Hume Freeway due to the Longwood fire.
Evacuees and those unable to avoid travel are advised to detour via the Goulburn Valley Highway and Murchison–Violet Town Road.
Electricity distributor PowerCor has told ABC about 32,000 customers are without power due to a number of localised faults, including in Melbourne’s western suburbs: Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Tarneet, Truganina, and Melton.
Ambulance Victoria declared a ‘Red Escalation’ for Victoria’s South West, Wimmera, North Central and North Country regions from 7am Friday.
The declaration is issued when an incident has, or could have, a severe impact on everyday operations.
Paramedics and first responders in catastrophic fire danger areas have been withdrawn and will only return for serious or life-threatening illnesses.
Jan Newton and her dog are seen taking shelter at the community centre on Friday
Fire Crews from Little Yarra CFA are seen
Authorities said Victoria was facing its worst fire threat since the Black Summer fires in 2019- 2020.
‘It’s all going to be a very bad day,’ Little Yarra Country Fire Authority captain Peter Cookson said.
‘We all prepare for these days, and if nothing happens, that is a win. But you can’t say nothing will happen – with these things, they can all start from a spark.’
Victims of the Longwood fire will receive financial assistance from the Albanese and Allan Governments.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said personal hardship grants had been activated, with $680 available per adult and $340 per child.
This will be offered for those in local government areas, including Mansfield, Murrundindi, Strathbogie and Towong.
The bank ANZ has announced disaster relief support is available for customers impacted by bushfires in Victoria.
It said support would include short-term payment relief on home loans, credit cards, personal loans and some business loans, though it may still charge you interest during that period.
Other measures will see the bank waiving fees for restructuring business loans and for accessing term deposits early. Those with ANZ Home and Contents Insurance may be eligible for emergency funds and temporary accommodation.
Authorities said Victoria was facing its worst fire threat since the Black Summer fires in 2019
Firefighters also continue to battle a bushfire burning in the Mount Lawson State Park
A major heatwave is sweeping across Australia’s southeast, with temperatures forecast to hit 43C in Melbourne and up to 47C in inland Victoria on Friday.
The Country Fire Service (CFS) responded to more than 25 fires across South Australia on Friday, including a blaze that burned about 12 hectares of grass in 30 minutes at Stockport, 80km north of Adelaide.
The ongoing heatwave is expected to impact the ACT and NSW, where a total fire ban is in place for the eastern Riverina, southern Riverina, southern slopes and Monaro alpine regions.
Temperatures will not be quite as high in NSW, with Sydney set to reach a maximum of 33C and Canberra expected to hit a high of 39C.
Conditions are expected to worsen in the Harbour City on Saturday, with temperatures forecast to reach 42C and even higher in the western suburbs.
NSW Ambulance chief superintendent Steve Vaughan has residents to prepare for the hot conditions and stay cool, hydrated, and indoors during the hottest part of the day.
‘Heatwaves put real pressure on your body, with consecutive days of relentless heat causing stress that builds up over time,’ he said.