FIRE crews have stopped the spread of a grass fire that destroyed one home and threatened others in Moyston on Friday afternoon.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Crews stopped the head of the fire about 5.45pm, about six hours after the fire started north of the township.
While crews contained the fire and downgraded an emergency fire warning to a watch and act message on Friday evening, Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley said crews would be fighting the blaze throughout the night.
Temperatures were tipped to stay as high as 28C overnight, before hitting 39C in Melbourne and more than 40C in regional areas on Saturday.
Unusually windy conditions are also expected, with Mr Lapsley warning that severe fire weather had been forecast between 1am and 6am on Saturday.
“It could be a real problem through the night,” he said.
“There will be a lot of challenges.
“It’s quite abnormal.”
The fire broke out north of Moyston about 11.52am on Friday and passed to the east of the town about 2pm.
It continued to spread in a south-easterly direction and crossed the Mortlake-Ararat Road about 4.45pm.
The 4796-hectare blaze was expected to threaten properties in Maroona, south-east of Moyston, in the afternoon.
The Country Fire Authority had 60 tankers and 11 aircraft battling the blaze.
Ballarat City Council sent people to gather intelligence, monitor fire behaviour and report to the incident control centre.
Three people were sent on Friday, with another team to attend on Saturday.
An Ambulance Victoria spokesman said a woman aged in her 50s was treated for smoke inhalation and heat stroke at a staging area at Moyston Primary School.
"Research out recently has shown that slushies, or ice drinks, are very effective in cooling"
Ambulance Victoria’s Paul Holman said the overnight heat would mean ill and elderly people could struggle on Saturday.
“The body doesn’t have enough time to recover,” he said.
Mr Holman said people should check on their neighbours and make sure they stayed hydrated and out of the heat if possible.
“Some of the interesting research out recently has shown that slushies, or ice drinks, are very effective in cooling. So that’s probably a good tip for people – use slushies,” he said.
Victoria Police acting commissioner Tim Cartwright urged people to call 000 if they saw anyone lighting a fire or welding or using an angle grinder.
Residents attended a community meeting at the Alexandra Oval Community Centre in Ararat about 7pm on Friday.
A relief centre has been set up at Ararat and some roads into and out of Moyston have been closed.
With The Age and AAP
kara.irving@fairfaxmedia.com.au
