Heat, outages and warnings foreshadow fire crisis

Prior to the bushfire activity that engulfed much of Victoria’s North East last week, Mansfield Shire endured a prolonged run of extreme heat and mounting pressure on essential services. The mercury reached 40 degrees Celsius late on Wednesday afternoon, followed by an unplanned power outage that affected Mansfield township and several surrounding areas, including Tolmie, until late Thursday morning. ABC Radio reported before 9am on Thursday that AusNet was still attempting to identify the cause of the outage in Mansfield. AusNet spokesperson Karen Winsbury said crews were facing a “long, hot day” inspecting around 200 kilometres of electricity lines to locate the fault. By mid-morning, residents reported seeing an AusNet helicopter surveying the area, and power was restored to Mansfield at 11.06am on Thursday. A total fire ban was declared for the North East from midnight on Thursday, 8 January, followed by a statewide total fire ban on Friday, 9 January. At the same time, firefighters in neighbouring Strathbogie Shire were battling a fire at Longwood in difficult conditions, with the blaze spreading toward surrounding areas. Mansfield CFA captain David Mims confirmed on Thursday morning that up to 25 personnel, supported by five trucks and a command vehicle from the Mansfield Brigades Group, had been deployed to the Longwood fire as part of a strike team. CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan told ABC News Breakfast that there had been reports of several property losses in the Longwood area. The power outage compounded the challenges locally, forcing food outlets and restaurants to close during what would normally be a busy school holiday trading period. O’Malley’s Pizza and Takeaway on High Street closed on Wednesday night, later advising via social media it would reopen late Thursday using a generator as backup power. Ahead of the forecast heatwave, several businesses and community groups had already flagged plans to close on Thursday and Friday, citing concerns for staff, volunteers and public safety. The Uniting Church Op Shop closed for the remainder of the week, while other services, including the post office, were unable to operate without power. In response to the extreme conditions, Mansfield Shire Council extended public pool opening hours on Thursday to provide residents with relief from the heat. On Mt Buller, chairlift operations and the RockWire adventure activity were suspended on Thursday and Friday due to the extreme temperatures, with visitors advised to monitor the Mt Buller website and VicEmergency for updates. Mansfield Agricultural and Pastoral Society president Amanda Swaney said the Mansfield Showgrounds were made available as a refuge for horses from fire-affected areas, with owners able to arrange access through the shire or the society. McCormack Park at Merrijig was also opened as a safe refuge for horses and livestock for those impacted by the heightened fire danger.

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