RSOE EDIS: Australia - Forest Fire - 2010.01.22

RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service Budapest, Hungary RSOE EDIS ALERTMAIL

2010-01-22 04:11:16 - Forest Fire - Australia EDIS CODE: WF-20100122-24647-AUS Date & Time: 2010-01-22 04:11:16 [UTC] Area: Australia, State of Victoria, , Mallacoota Damage level: Moderate (Level 2) Not confirmed information! Description: Firefighters are continuing to battle a large fire in Victoria's east, which threatens to break containment lines if weather conditions turn bad. The fire is burning through thick forest around the Wingan River, about 20km south of Mallacoota. Up to 266 firefighters are tackling the blaze, which has burnt through 6314 hectares of bushland. The blaze was started by lightning earlier this week and has been fueled by an abundance of dry ground fuel. Department of Sustainability and Environment spokesman Mark Woodman said helicopters were drawing water directly from the river in an effort to halt the growing fire. "It's just so difficult to get crews in that area. It's extremely rough terrain,'' he said. "East Gippsland is extremely dry and the fire is spreading quite steadily.'' Fire crews are working hard to secure the eastern edge of the fire, which threatens to cloud Mallacoota in smoke by tomorrow. "Most of the edge is secure, but there are a couple of edges in the east that we're tackling,'' Mr Woodman said. "We're trying to hold on to those boundaries.'' Although temperatures are expected to reach the mid-30s in Gippsland today, firefighters remain hopeful the area will not be hit with strong north-easterly winds. "Forecasting in the area has been quite difficult because it's so close to the sea,'' Mr Woodman said. "How today goes will depend on the wind. We don't expect problems. After today we're expecting south easterly breezes and for the weather to become cooler and more stable.'' Melbourne's forecast for today is 36C ahead of a late change and cooler conditions over the weekend. Extreme Fire Danger alerts have been issued for Northern Country, Mallee, North Central, and Northeast districts, where temperatures could soar to 42C. Posted:2010-01-22 04:11:16 [UTC] Please DO NOT reply to this message: replies may be treated as errors and result in your subscription being deleted. If you have trouble or other queries, send email to havaria@rsoe.hu RSOE EDIS is operated by the National Association of Radio-Distress Signalling and Infocommunications (RSOE), Budapest, Hungary. Because of the complexity of this system and its dependence on other systems, we cannot be responsible for delays or failures in forwarding or transmission. You're receiving this AlertMail because you subscribed for the service. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Contact: havaria@rsoe.hu