RESIDENTS in the southern end of the Mitchell Shire were saved by the tireless work of CFA volunteers, and later rain, as a grass fire raged in Clarkefield on Wednesday afternoon.
However, fire brigade messages say a dangerous scenario was avoided after what the Wallan Fire Brigade says was “a frightening number of social media posts” on community pages suggested there was no risk to people in the town, despite CFA modelling saying otherwise.
The grass fire burned through 400 hectares of land by 3.30pm on Wednesday afternoon as the fire went through the green wedge zone between Sunbury and Craigieburn, leaving at least 88 emergency vehicles responding, as well at least six aircraft to stop the fire.
Residents in Beveridge and Darraweit Guim, among others, were told to shelter immediately, while residents in Mandalay Estate in Beveridge were told to be prepared to walk two streets back.
A wind change, which also brought rain with it, provided much-needed relief before the fire could impact the Mitchell Shire, with the fire tracking along to change direction towards Old Sydney Road.
An update on Thursday morning from the State Control Centre indicated that the fire was under control.
“A grass fire swiftly took hold in Clarkefield, north-east of Sunbury, reaching Emergency Warning level,” they wrote.
“The fire is now under control after burning over 480 hectares of land, thanks to the efforts of hundreds of emergency services personnel and firefighting aircraft.”
A furious Wallan Fire Brigade post on social media was aimed at misinformation on community pages so soon after the town had a near-miss in January, outlining how close CFA fire modelling came towards Beveridge and Wallan, with strike teams forming next to the Wallan Fire Station in preparation for the fire’s path.
“Yesterday we noticed a frightening number of social media posts on the various community pages suggesting there was no risk to people in Wallan regarding the Clarkefield fire. All this despite receiving text messages from the CFA stating ‘you should take shelter now’ and ‘act immediately to survive’,” they wrote.
“If you receive an alert or a text message, we can’t recommend enough that you follow that advice and put your bushfire plan into action.
“CFA fire modelling showed if the fire was not able to be contained at Konagaderra Road with the south-west wind change, the fire would likely have been at the southern edge of Beveridge within two hours.
“There was enough concern that fire breaks were put in around Beveridge with a grader as the change was coming through the fireground.
“Furthermore, having already depleted the resources in the outer-metro area, we had two strike teams, one from the Alexandra-Buxton area and another from the Avenel-Shepparton area pre-staged at Hadfield Park ready to deploy into Beveridge if the fire wasn’t pulled up.
“If you receive a text message saying you need to take shelter immediately or a VicEmergency alert stating evacuate now, don’t jump on Facebook and ask for another opinion by someone less informed.
“These messages are sent for your safety and the safety of your family.”
Meantime, following the devastation of the Longwood bushfires, a number of applicants in both Mitchell Shire and Strathbogie have been approved over $86,000 in rapid response grants.
The first 50 applicants were successful, which was achieved through community donations across the first three weeks after the bushfire.
Payments will commence from February 18.
Laura Jeffrey, Chair of the Strathbogie Disaster Relief Fund, said every application was considered on its merits with timely relief for families in need.
“Our priority is getting support directly into the hands of impacted households as
quickly as possible,” she said.
“Each application has been carefully assessed by the Community Advisory Committee to ensure funding is fair, transparent and based on genuine impact.
“We know the scale of loss far exceeds what we can provide at this stage.
“That’s why continued fundraising is critical. Every contribution strengthens our capacity to support meaningful, longer-term and whole-of-community recovery.”