Three houses have been destroyed by a huge fire that broke out in the Grampians National Park in the Australian state of Victoria. But the long-awaited improvement in the weather allowed the firefighters to stop the spread of the flames. Officials reported that most of the evacuated residents returned to their hometowns on Friday.
The fire, which has been raging for more than a week, has burned 75,000 hectares in the Grampians National Park west of Melbourne, nearly a third of its area. The fire spread to the towns around the park.
The fire brigade reported on Friday that three houses were destroyed by fire in the town of Moyston. There is no information about the victims.
People return home
That evening, local time, most of the evacuees, including the residents of Halls Gap, were able to return home. But now tourists are not allowed to enter this beautiful town.
– I have been praying for the last few days that we will return home – a resident of Mafeking, located southeast of the park, said in an interview with local media. He added that all the sheep in his neighborhood were dying.
Fire in Grampians National ParkVicEmergency@Facebook
Hope in the air
So far, difficult weather conditions, including strong winds, storms and extreme heat, have hampered firefighting operations. Improved weather over the weekend helped firefighters control the spread of the blaze. Light rain and lower temperatures were expected on Saturday.
As Oliver Sim of the state forest service pointed out, although the forecast calls for milder conditions over the next week, it will still be a long time before the fires are extinguished.
Featured photo credit: VicEmergency@Facebook
