Firefighters are working to bring freshly sparked bushfires under control amid heatwave conditions, with nearby residents advised to monitor the situation.
With total fire bans in place in Victoria, firefighters responded to fresh blazes on Sunday afternoon in the state’s central goldfields region.
Residents were advised to stay informed as crews worked to control fires at Moliagul, west of Bendigo, and near Maryborough, north of Ballarat.
The extreme fire conditions in Australia’s south-east came as residents sweltered through the third day of a heatwave.
The hot and dry weather stretched from central Australia to the south-east.
Conditions are set to become more unsettled as winds begin to shift and clouds move in, according to a Victoria State Control Centre spokesperson, Reegan Key.
“People will notice the cloud cover today a bit more, and that creates more tricky conditions for firefighters,” she said.
“Where we already have fires in the landscape, sometimes the winds can be a bit difficult, but equally there is potential for lightning across the state so we might see some new starts.”
Total fire bans were in place for Mallee, Wimmera, the south-west, north central and central, which includes Melbourne and Geelong.
A cool change with below-average temperatures and patchy rain is forecast for Monday.
A fire in the Grampians national park that began in mid-December continues to burn out of control but at a slower rate.
More than 76,000 hectares of the park – equivalent to the size of Singapore – have burnt and four houses and several other buildings have been destroyed.
Crews have been working to contain the fire to enable residents and tourists to return to Halls Gap and surrounding areas.
“If we can get through today, they are likely to declare that fire contained in the next couple of days,” Key said.
In New South Wales, fire crews were battling 46 fires on Sunday amid concerns that possible thunderstorms could make matters worse.
Some of those fires were burning in or around Yengo and Wollemi national parks and near Attunga state forest.
