Australian bushfires

Smoke blankets Melbourne as fire danger peaks

Smoke has blanketed Melbourne's CBD as the stifling heat and vicious winds that fuelled the Gippsland bushfire last week are expected to be repeated, emergency services have warned.

the Age,

24 January, 2013

The Gippsland blaze has now burnt more than 60,000 hectares, destroyed houses and killed one person, and could flare again despite the close watch of firefighters.

About 80 firefighters were working on the control lines, east of Harrietville, on Thursday morning as the temperature began to climb to a forecast 37 degrees.

The blaze, which is about 1300 hectares in size, is burning about four kilometres north-east of Harrietville in the Alpine National Park. Emergency services expect the fire to hit the township and Hotham Heights within the next 24 hours.

At this stage the Country Fire Authority has advised residents to "watch and act", meaning they should decide whether to stay and defend their properties if they have a bushfire survival plan or leave. The highest alert "emergency", which means imminent danger, has not been activated.

Lightning strikes are believed to have ignited the fire on Monday night.

Community meetings have been arranged for Thursday. The first will be held at the Bright Community Centre on Railway Avenue at 11am, and second will be at the Mount Beauty Community Centre in Holland Street at 2pm.

Parks Victoria has closed 10 state forests and parts of the Alpine National Park until further notice. Falls Creek, Hotham Heights and Bogong state forests are among those closed.

Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley implored people to use common sense around bushfires, saying that hikers had started walks around Harrietville on Wednesday morning despite the nearby blaze and smoke being visible in the area.

For rest of article GO HERE