Vic: Cooler than expected Vic temperatures provides relief
28 Feb 2009 2:47 AM
MELBOURNE, Feb 28 AAP - Firefighters welcomed a quiet night after fears of the worst fire weather since Black Saturday were not realised on Friday.
Conditions are expected to be cool throughout the state on Saturday.
There were fears a cool change on Friday evening would bring winds and fan the four major fires that have been burning since Black Saturday.
Country Fire Authority state duty officer Alan Rankin said the westerly wind was a lot slower than expected and taking longer to make it's way across the state.
"We're quietly confident that the change will not be presenting us with any significant challenges," Mr Rankin told AAP on Saturday.
"It's always nice when you get a pleasant surprise like that."
Temperatures had been expected to reach 39 degrees on Friday, but were milder than expected.
A high of 35 degrees topped Melbourne's temperature charts.
That allowed firefighters to continue to work on building thick containment lines and keep the four major fires still burning under control.
Mr Rankin praised the community's willingness to listen to safety messages.
"The community response has been terrific - they are certainly very aware of the situations."
Meanwhile, A CFA firefighter was taken to hospital on Friday for observation after suffering smoke inhalation while battling a minor blaze in Beaconsfield, southeast of Melbourne.
That fire was jumped on quickly by personnel and put out within two hours.
Several other small fires that flared up on Friday were quickly put out by firefighters.
There is no total fire ban in place on Saturday.
While the weekend is expected to be cool, extreme fire conditions are expected on Tuesday.
Mr Rankin said the long-term weather forecasts are not yet known, but it is expected the major fires will continue to burn until "significant" rain falls over the state.
