THE Beechworth bushfire has wreaked havoc with the town’s power supply forcing the evacuation of patients from the hospital and leaving retailers facing the cost of lost stock.
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Power was restored to Beechworth about 2pm yesterday, but not before 20 hours without electricity.
At Beechworth Health Service 30 high-care, aged-care residents and six acute patients have been evacuated to Benalla Hospital, North East Health Wangaratta and St John’s Village, Wangaratta.
Health service staff will this morning assess if the patients should return to Beechworth.
Chief nursing officer Stuart McIntosh said the patients were evacuated by 1.30am yesterday but 30 low-care residents remained in the hostel and 15 patients were also still at the older persons mental health service.
He said 18 people in the Willows rehabilitation and recovery program, who usually lived in homes near La Trobe University, were staying at the hospital.
During the blackout the health service generator supplied low level lighting and cooling in living areas, the kitchen and control office.
“We needed to evacuate 36 patients and residents to Wangaratta and Benalla to ensure people were comfortable and could be kept in a cool environment,” Mr McIntosh said.
“We have been reassuring people who are left that they are safe, it’s a modern facility here with all the fire protection things in place.”
Retailers have also been hit by the loss of power, with most stores in Beechworth closed yesterday.
Foodworks supermarket opened at 10am yesterday but owner Danny Brown said at least $3000 and up to $7000 worth of food had been lost.
Mr Brown said the shop had a generator which was enough to run the registers and cool room, which had been stacked with milk, meat, dairy products and fruit and vegetables, but it could not cope with the freezers.
“I took a trailer to the tip this morning filled with ice creams, frozen vegies and frozen meals,” he said.
“It’s worth $3000 to $4000.”
Mr Brown said ice cream, meat, pies and juice worth up to $3000 in a second freezer were also likely to be lost.
He said the food was insured.
SP Ausnet spokeswoman Louisa Graham said the power went out about 6pm on Saturday when trees fell on powerlines and power poles were burnt in the fires.
She said power was restored for about 30 minutes about 10am yesterday but there were problems with the supply.
