Overview
- Authorities declared a statewide Total Fire Ban for Friday with catastrophic fire danger forecast for multiple Victorian districts and extreme ratings elsewhere.
- Evacuation orders are active for towns near the out‑of‑control Longwood and Walwa fires, with some areas told to leave by 7 a.m. Friday as officials warn lives could be at risk.
- Two structures have been confirmed destroyed near Longwood, the Hume Highway is closed between Seymour and Violet Town, and emergency warnings extend across surrounding communities.
- Firegrounds have grown to around 3,000 hectares at both Longwood and near Walwa, where resources include about 400 firefighters at Longwood, more than 70 aircraft, and additional crews from the NSW Rural Fire Service.
- Bureau of Meteorology forecasters expect the peak danger on Friday due to hot, dry, gusty northerlies and dry thunderstorms, with some relief expected after a southerly change over the weekend; a tropical low in the Coral Sea threatens heavy rain for Queensland.