As we went to press Thursday morning, more than 50 homes have been reported lost or damaged in the Harcourt-Ravenswood fire.
A ‘Watch and Act’ message remained in place for the fire for communities at Barkers Creek, Dog Rocks Saddle, Harcourt, Harcourt North, Ravenswood South, Sutton Grange, and Walmer.
The grass fire has burnt out approximately 4,100 hectares.
The spread of fire had slowed and is not travelling outside the current burn area, but authorities warn that this can change at any time, and the situation is still dangerous.
Fire-damaged trees remain a serious hazard in the Harcourt area; until assessments are complete, strong winds may cause trees or limbs to fall without warning.
Restricted access is available to residents as advertised, in specific areas as determined by Victoria Police. Access to non-residents is strictly prohibited.
Smoke will be visible from nearby communities and will continue to show for the next few days.
A Recovery Hub for affected residents is open at the Castlemaine Town Hall, 25 Lyttleton Street, opening hours will be from 11-5pm this week. Many agencies and organisations are available to assist you through the recovery process, including temporary accommodation support.
This is anticipated to move to the Harcourt Leisure Centre when it is deemed safe.
Forest Fire Management are continuing burning out operations within the Mount Alexander Regional Park; this will create additional smoke which may be visible to nearby communities. Aircraft may be visible.
It is important for the community to know that these works are part of the plan and there is no need to be worried.
Powercor has restored power to most customers in the fire-affected community where it is safe to do so. They have replaced 270 poles in four days.
About 36 customers in the Harcourt fire area remain without power due to extensive damage to the electricity infrastructure on Mount Alexander.
V/Line services resumed early Wednesday morning following railway line and bridge repairs in the township.
Coliban Water was still working on repairs in the township and surrounds, with a ‘Do Not Drink Advisory – Harcourt’ still in place.
The fire has impacted communication towers on Mount Alexander, which has impacted radio broadcasting. Temporary measures are in place.
Free-to-air TV remains offline. The towers have been deemed structurally safe, but significant works need to be done to bring these back online and this cannot occur until it is safe to do so.
In addition to the Harcourt fire, 23 tankers attended a fire at Porcupine Ridge near Hepburn Springs on Wednesday evening, but fortunately, this was quickly contained, burning out approximately one hectare.
Community members are urged to keep an eye on the VicEmergency app for updates across the weekend.
