News Service from House Harris

Vic: Cool conditions aid fire crews but wind still a worry

MELBOURNE, Feb 10 AAP - Firefighters in Victoria are using cool conditions to strengthen control lines around bushfires but fear strong southerlies might flare 23 fires still out of control.

More than 4,000 firefighters, including hundreds from interstate, still have their hands full with 33 bushfires still burning.

Threats to towns near the Beechworth fire in the state's northeast, at Healesville on Melbourne's outer east, and from the Bunyip Ridge and Churchill-Jeeralang fires in Gippsland, had eased late on Tuesday.

While the weather in southern Victoria is cool, firefighters are being hindered by a freshening southerly wind that is pushing fires through bush and cleared land baked dry by the recent heatwave.

The monster Kinglake Complex fire, which has killed at least 147 people and destroyed 550 homes, has blackened 230,000ha of land in a huge area spanning Wandong in the west, St Andrews and Kinglake in the south, Marysville in the east and Flowerdale and Taggerty in the north.

Urgent threat messages have been issued for the tiny town of Rubicon, near Alexandra, and for residents along the Thornton-Taggerty Road, Bulls Lane, and in Cathedral Lane - areas just north of the Cathedral Range State Park as the wind fans flames.

A series of fires near Healesville, now known as the Maroondah/Yarra Complex, is active.

The fires have burned about 1,200ha north, south and east of the town and on Monday night threatened to burn houses on the outskirts of Healesville, but Country Fire Authority (CFA) officer Nic Rodway said good luck and favourable weather averted disaster.

"Last night it appeared that it was going to impact on houses, but the wind came in our favour and blew it away from us," Mr Rodway said.

Residents in Healesville, Chum Creek, Badger Creek, Steels Creek, Dixons Creek, Yarra Glen, Toolangi and Castella remain on alert.

Fire crews and staff from government agencies are working to protect community assets in the area and water catchment infrastructure at the Maroondah Reservoir.

If the weather allows, firefighters may burn unburnt fuels between strategic control lines overnight.

Fires in the mountains above nearby Warburton and at the Bunyip State Park to the south are expected to cast a pall of heavy smoke over the upper Yarra valley.

The fire threat in part of the Dandenong Ranges town of Gembrook has also eased but the 25,000ha Bunyip State Park fire still rages.

It is burning in the park and state forest areas between Gembrook, Powelltown, Neerim Junction and Tonimbuk, southeast of Melbourne.

In south Gippsland, the CFA has downgraded the threat posed to at least 10 tiny communities by the Churchill-Jeeralang fire.

At least 21 people were killed in the fire, which has burned 35,000ha, destroyed 77 buildings and caused high stock losses.

Conditions have also eased in the northeast, allowing fire crews to strengthen containment lines on the 30,000ha Beechworth fire.

No property was under immediate threat but the towns of Dederang, Gundowring, Gundowring Upper, Glen Creek, Kergunyah South, Mudgegonga and Running Creek were advised to remain on alert for bushfire activity.

Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) incident controller Rob Chalwell said he hoped backburning and aerial water bombing would dampen the fire before the hot weather expected in a few days.

"I'm not overly confident just yet, we need at least another 24 hours," he said.