As we went to press this morning, Victorian fire authorities issued a Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating for tommorrow, Friday, January 9, for the North Central, Northern Country and Wimmera districts. Extreme fire ratings have been issued for the rest of Victoria.
Residents were urged to prepare for worsening fire conditions in the coming 24 hours.
A Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating means conditions will be the most dangerous for a fire and if a fire starts and takes hold, lives and homes are likely to be lost.
Now is the time to enact your bushfire plan to best safeguard yourself and your family.
The situation remains dynamic and communication will be provided to communities as soon as possible in line with expert advice.
Community members are reminded to never rely on one channel for emergency information. Connect to official sources of emergency information, including the VicEmergency App and tune into local emergency broadcasters.