Vic: Firefighters welcome milder weather forecast

AAP General News (Australia)
02-14-2009
Vic: Firefighters welcome milder weather forecast

By Mariza O'Keefe

MELBOURNE, Feb 14 AAP - Emergency services have welcomed forecasts of milder weather
for Victoria and say it will help them continue in their battle to contain several ongoing
bushfires.

On Saturday afternoon, 4,500 firefighters were battling 12 out of control blazes in Victoria.

"The weather forecast for the next week that's been provided to us by the bureau is
very encouraging for firefighters," Country Fire Authority deputy chief officer Geoff
Conway said.

"The conditions will remain not so much benign, but they're certainly quite mild."

He said these conditions would allow firefighters to continue work in consolidating
control lines and backburning over the next few days.

The fires and backburning work is expected to cause increased amounts of smoke in the
communities surrounding Victoria's major fires.

Residents living near the fires in Murrindindi, Wilsons Promontory, those near the
Bunyip State Park and the Maroondah/Yarra Complex fire have all been warned of increased
smoke expected in these areas.

The fires are currently not posing a direct threat to any communities.

Residents of metropolitan Melbourne have also been warned about increased smoke from
the bushfires this weekend.

EPA Victoria director of environmental services Bruce Dawson said that with predicted
northeasterly winds, Melbourne would continue to be affected by smoke.

The death toll remained at 181, but police said on Saturday the number of houses destroyed
had increased to 1,834 homes, while 413,000 hectares have been burnt out.

Police are urging the public to stay away from the townships devastated by Victoria's bushfires.

They are appealing to the public to allow residents in Whittlesea and Kinglake to take
the first tentative steps towards rehabilitating the fire devastated areas.

Emergency services also want to avoid unnecessary traffic on the roads as they continue
their relief efforts and battle blazes in the areas.

Meanwhile, Marysville residents made an emotional return on Saturday to the devastated
township for the first time since the fires.

Police placed heavy restrictions on the visit to the township - now designated a crime
scene - and residents travelled in a fleet of shuttle buses and were not allowed off the
bus or even to take photos.

The blaze that razed Marysville was being treated as suspicious, police confirmed on Friday.

Fire authorities have said blazes around Mount Riddell and Mount Juliet, east of Melbourne,
are not expected to threaten nearby residents, but ash may fall around Healesville.

Department of Sustainability and Environment spokesman Stuart Ord said heavy resources
were being thrown into the fires near Healesville over the weekend to establish containment
lines before the hotter weather returns.

"We have got about of 50 to 60 bulldozers just in that area working on the fire edge,"

Mr Ord said.

"We're throwing everything on that to try to get containment lines on it."

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KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES VIC 2ND UPDATE

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