Melbourne bushfire: Suburbs of Bundoora Greensborough and Mill Park under threat

Lives and homes are under threat as raging bushfires with flames leaping 20metres into the air continue to burn in suburban Melbourne. 

At least 10 emergency warnings have been issued in Victoria’s far east and northeast as of Monday afternoon. 

Residents in Bundoora, Greensborough and Mill Park, in the city’s northeast, have been told it’s too late to flee the bushfire and to take shelter immediately.

‘You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive,’ a warning said. 

It covers people north of the Metropolitan Ring Road, between Scholar Drive And Booyan Court.

The fire is travelling south from Jubilee Crescent towards Cloverton Way.  

Victoria on fire: An out-of-control bushfire is threatening lives and homes in Melbourne’s suburbs 

Residents in Bundoora, Greensborough and Mill Park, in the city's northeast, have been told to take shelter as it's too late to flee. An aerial scene shows fires burning in Bundoora on Monday

Residents in Bundoora, Greensborough and Mill Park, in the city’s northeast, have been told to take shelter as it’s too late to flee. An aerial scene shows fires burning in Bundoora on Monday

How close the fire is to homes in Bundoora, Greensborough and Mill Park on Melbourne's northern outskirts

How close the fire is to homes in Bundoora, Greensborough and Mill Park on Melbourne’s northern outskirts

Footage taken from an aerial view shows fires encroaching on a properties in Bundoora. Many have evacuated while others are being forced to take shelter because it's too late to leave

Footage taken from an aerial view shows fires encroaching on a properties in Bundoora. Many have evacuated while others are being forced to take shelter because it’s too late to leave 

A Skycrane drops water on a bushfire in scrub behind houses in Bundoora on Monday afternoon

A Skycrane drops water on a bushfire in scrub behind houses in Bundoora on Monday afternoon

Embers are being blown long distances by the wind ahead of the main fire and starting spot fires.

Many residents, including all of those in an aged care home, were earlier evacuated. 

At least 16 fires are currently burning across Victoria and the worst is yet to come with a dangerous wind change not expected to sweep fire grounds until around midnight on Monday. 

Fire crews are battling catastrophic fire dangers with flames leaping 20 metres into the air and 14km-high smoke columns creating fire-generated thunderstorms. 

Victoria is bracing for the potentially ferocious wind change to bring gusts up to 120 km/h, the weather bureau has warned.

The dangerous wind shift is expected to create damaging conditions and remain a risk across eastern parts of the state into Tuesday morning. 

Thousands have already fled their homes after warnings that scorching temperatures would fan searing bushfires across southern parts of the country. 

For those who stayed behind, authorities fear it is now too late to leave parts of Victoria as firefighters brace for blistering winds to batter the parched countryside.  

A diagram showing the fire affected area just metres from a Melbourne suburb

A diagram showing the fire affected area just metres from a Melbourne suburb

Thick smoke billowing from the fires can be seen from Bundoora/Metropolitan Ring Rd

Thick smoke billowing from the fires can be seen from Bundoora/Metropolitan Ring Rd

Ange Vlahopoulos, who lives on Cloverton Way in Bundoora, said the fire suddenly became a problem when wind whipped it towards houses.

‘The fire was way in the distance this morning. Then the wind just picked up and out of nowhere, the whole area over the road was on fire,’ he told The Age.

‘Before you knew it, there was smoke everywhere and flames.’

The fire is one of 10 emergency warnings for fires across Victoria, mostly in the state’s East Gippsland region, amid scorching temperatures and strong winds.    

A total fire ban is in place across the state, and multiple emergency warnings have been issued in the East Gippsland region.   

As of Monday afternoon, emergency warnings have been issued for Genoa, Gipsy Point, Karbethong, Mallacoota, Maramingo Creek, Wangarabell, Wingan River in the state’s east.

Residents near Ramrod Creek were also warned to take shelter as a bushfire north of Bruthen, near in the Tambo River near East Gippsland,continues to burn out of control.

‘This bushfire has created a large column and is dropping embers and creating spot fires,’ a Victoria Emergency warning read.

‘Firefighters are currently undertaking asset protection in private property.

‘This fire is threatening homes and lives.’  

Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said it was a ‘high-risk day’ in Victoria and those still in left Lakes Entrance may now be stuck there.

‘We’ve just – we recently looked at the columns, and they’re generating their own weather,’ Mr Crisp said.

‘There’s lightning coming out of these columns. It is unpredictable, it’s dangerous out there, and people need to stay tuned to their local conditions and stay across that good information so they can make good decisions.

A light drizzle was reported in Bundoora late Monday afternoon, amid raging fires. 

A firefighting helicopter is seen over Mill Park, 18km north of Melbourne

A firefighting helicopter is seen over Mill Park, 18km north of Melbourne 

VICTORIAN BUSHFIRES KEY POINTS

*More than 10 fires are burning in East Gippsland, including three that have been going for more than a month

*Seven emergency warnings and one evacuate now alert were active in East Gippsland as of 1.50pm Monday

*16 fires in Victoria started overnight due to dry lightning

*A fire sparked by dry lightning between Cann River and Mallacoota travelled 24km in six hours overnight, created a 14km high plume and its own dry lightning

*The Ensay-Barmouth Spur fire had been two blazes before joining, burning about 100,000 hectares

*Hot, dry and windy conditions forecast across Victoria with the temperature to soar into the 40s across most parts of the state

*A wind change is expected to reach East Gippsland early Tuesday morning

*The Princes Highway is closed between Cann River and Genoa

*The Great Alpine Road between Bruthen and Ensay could be shut for up to a fortnight

*People can register that they are not in danger at register.redcross.org.au

*Fire updates can be found on the VicEmergency app, emergency.vic.gov.au, on emergency broadcasters or the hotline on 1800 226 226 and social media

*Relief centres have been set up in Bairnsdale, Sale, Cann River, Orbost, Omeo, Lakes Entrances, and across the NSW-border in Delegate

Sources: State Control Centre, BoM, VicEmergency website, state government

Country Fire Authority said the area is expecting a cool change but they do not expect it to bring heavy rain.  

‘The real issue is the gusty winds and that’s expected to change fire behavior so that’s our main focus at the moment,’ a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. 

About 30,000 tourists as well as 45,000 locals were told to leave the East Gippsland region on Sunday in what would be one of the biggest mass evacuations in Australia’s history.  

An emergency warning, the highest possible alert, was issued for a blaze west of Goongerah, in East Gippsland. 

There are four emergency warnings for bushfires ravaging the East Gippsland region of Victoria on Monday

There are four emergency warnings for bushfires ravaging the East Gippsland region of Victoria on Monday

Victorian authorities have released dire emergency warnings about bushfires in East Gippsland on Monday

Victorian authorities have released dire emergency warnings about bushfires in East Gippsland on Monday 

The highest alert has also been issued for Suggan Buggan, Buchan, Buchan South and Sunny Point. Suggan Buggan is a border town, also threatened by out-of-control blazes in NSW.

Similar alerts were already in place on Monday for the Ensay-Barmouth Spur fire, and the Wingan River fire. The Ensay-Barmouth Spur fire had been two fires but joined overnight and has burnt about 100,000 hectares.

The Princes Highway between Cann River and Genoa was shut at 1pm amid the increased fire activity in the area and residents were told it’s too late to leave. 

‘It is quite an extreme day for us, really the first really bad day that we’ve had on this group of fires since they started on the 21st of November,’ East Gippsland fires incident controller Ben Rankin told reporters at Bairnsdale.

‘[It’s] comparable almost to Black Saturday in some ways, if the forecast does eventuate as given to us. It is inevitable there will be some significant run of fire today.’

Despite the plea for 30,000 holidaymakers in Lakes Entrance to leave on Sunday, the town is unlikely to be impacted by the fires and is a good place to take refuge, he added.

‘We didn’t want people moving around the road today because of the high risk of fire movement and impact to the roadways would see impact on visitors,’ Mr Rankin said. 

In South Australia, fires continue to burn on Kangaroo Island and a catastrophic danger has been declared for the Adelaide Metropolitan, Yorke Peninsula, Mount Lofty Ranges and the state’s Mid North.

Adelaide is forecast to reach 40C and firefighters are particularly worried about the potential for breakouts in the blaze burning in the Adelaide Hills.

CFA firefighters attend a grass fire at Yellow Gum Recreation Park in Mill Park in Melbourne, Monday

CFA firefighters attend a grass fire at Yellow Gum Recreation Park in Mill Park in Melbourne, Monday

Severe thunderstorm warnings have also been issued for parts of the South Australian coast, adding to the risk of bushfires from lightning strikes.

In NSW, a fire-generated thunderstorm (pyro-cumulonimbus) has formed over the Badja Forest Road and Tuross Falls Road fires, northwest of Cobargo.

A pyro-cumulonimbus can create erratic winds and dry lightning and result in significantly faster fire spread.

Across NSW, more than 900 homes have been destroyed but that number is expected to increase with rising temperatures and dry winds forecast to peak on New Year’s Eve.

Temperatures are forecast to climb past 40C in western Sydney and parts of regional NSW by Tuesday, as air pollution in the city’s southwest remains at a hazardous level.

In Tasmania, residents are urged to remain on high alert as scorching temperatures combined with forecast thunderstorms and winds increase fire risk.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk