Overview
- Emergency alerts for the Carlisle River fire have been reduced to watch and act, yet authorities say it is still not safe for evacuees from Gellibrand and nearby towns to return.
- The Otways blaze has burned more than 11,000 hectares and destroyed over 16 homes, with losses confirmed in the Gellibrand area.
- Roughly 11,000 properties remain without power across Victoria after earlier statewide peaks above 100,000, and CitiPower warns repairs in the Otways may be delayed for days due to hazardous conditions.
- Damage to the Gellibrand Water Treatment Plant has left local tap water unsafe, with Barwon Water to assess and restore services once access is secure.
- Record heat continues inland after Victoria set a 48.9C state high and Renmark reached 49.6C, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting several more days of severe to extreme heat and a large multi‑agency firefighting effort sustaining operations across hundreds of thousands of hectares.