Wodonga’s urban fringe was saved from an extreme bushfire which raged through the North East on Sunday afternoon due to cooling temperatures and rainfall.
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By 11pm, it had burned more than 8800 hectares and had threatened several communities, including Wooragee, Yackandandah, Leneva and Leneva West, before conditions improved.
Gale-force winds and fierce heat meant the fire became unwieldy within 30 minutes of spotting over the Hume Freeway at Barnawartha.
Evacuations were taking place right across these communities, including most of Yackandandah.
The massive blaze was running so fast thanks to high temperatures that peaked at 40.9 degrees at 2.30pm, fanned by winds averaging about 40km/h but gusting up to twice as fast.
Dozens of firefighters in 28 units from across the region were onto the blaze straight away, supported by aircraft dropping fire retardant – including large tankers flying in from Avalon.
The fire was halfway between the Indigo Valley and the Beechworth-Yackandandah roads, on Wodonga’s outskirts by 6pm
CFA district 24 operations manager Paul King said a big effort was put into trying to secure a buffer zone on the western flank of the fire along Indigo Creek Road.
The CFA’s 6pm warning was directed at residents around Leneva, Huon Creek and Castle Creek roads.
“There is a fast moving, out of control bushfire travelling in a easterly direction from Indigo Valley towards the Beechworth Wodonga Road,” the warning said.
Spot fires and ember attacks were occurring up to two kilometres ahead of the main fire front, though earlier in the afternoon these were firing up to 4.3 kilometres down the valley.
“Extreme fire weather means that the forward spread of the fire cannot not be controlled,” the warning said.
People leaving their homes were urged to travel to a community fire refuges including The Cube in Wodonga and the Beechworth memorial hall.
It was also recommended those who evacuated stay with family or friends in Albury and Wodonga.
Mr King said the incident control centre was dealing with a blaze in a high state of flux.
“We’ve got worries about Wooragee, we’ve got worries about Yackandandah, so we’ve warned them to be able to give them the best chance to leave early,” he said.
Mr King said that was because there was no obvious way to control the fire.
“Firefighters are often struggling to stand up in the wind.
“That’s the sort of conditions that we’re facing.”
