He said there were no reports yet of residential homes being destroyed, but he expected there could be some houses lost.
Nugent said a wind change forecast for late on Thursday would be problematic for firefighters.
A total fire ban is in place for the entire state, and the fire danger rating is extreme for all Victorian regions except for East Gippsland. Firefighters expect the Grampians fire to spread in the worst bushfire conditions since Black Summer, and fear other blazes could spark.
Residents of Halls Gap, a town at the foot of the Grampians, were told to evacuate on Saturday, and authorities have since advised them not to return. Will Hudson, who lives in Halls Gap, evacuated to Stawell on Thursday morning after securing his properties.
“Most people have evacuated, which has been good to see,” Hudson said. “It’s just a lot of unknown and uncertainty not knowing what the weather’s going to do.”
Although hopeful the fire might avoid the main town, Hudson said there were “unpredictable changes, so we wait and see what happens”.
On Wednesday afternoon, residents of Pomonal – a town that suffered bushfires in February – were warned to leave immediately. It is now listed as under a watch and act alert.
Marc Sleeman in Pomonal in February, when the town was devastated by fires. Credit: Justin McManus
Marc Sleeman, a Pomonal resident who has stayed to defend his house from embers, said he was prepared to leave immediately. “If that fire looks like coming this way, I’m out of here,” Sleeman said.
“After the February bushfires, it left a significant scar on the landscape here in Pomonal and has cleared a lot of the forest from around my property.
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“I have over an acre of cleared land around my house, so I feel confident that the fire front is not going to hit directly.”
State Control Centre spokesperson Luke Heagerty urged Victorians to act decisively, and said people in areas of elevated concern needed to evacuate by 10am.
“Move to somewhere else, somewhere safe,” he said. “That is the way to protect yourself and your family.
“[Today’s] winds have the potential to spread those fires towards communities that, at the moment, have not been under a warning.”
He advised people to avoid unnecessary travel and to be aware of emergency warnings.
“This is not a day to be outside,” he said. “This is not a day to be undertaking any sort of travel unless absolutely necessary.
“We need the roads clear for emergency services to respond to the existing fires and to any new fires.”
Dunkeld Caravan Park caretaker Geoff Hinchliffe said the region had received a “couple of spots of rain” on Thursday morning while the gusty wind persisted.
There were still six guests in the caravan park on Thursday in addition to Hinchliffe’s family of four.
Hinchliffe said he was prepared to evacuate if the fire came closer.
The sun sets as smoke fills the skies from the Yarram Gap Road fire in the Grampians at the weekend.Credit: State Control Centre
“It seems to be skirting us at the moment,” he said. “It’s a bit of an eerie feeling. It’s all quiet, no traffic.”
A severe weather warning for damaging winds is in place for parts of western Victoria. Authorities expect winds to ease by late Thursday night. The SES is advising people to avoid travel if possible and to stay away from trees, fire-affected areas, windows and fallen power lines.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management Jenny McAllister said the Commonwealth had yet to receive a request for the Australian Defence Force to be deployed but was ready to provide any necessary assistance.
“That could be materials from the national stockpile, it could be support from Disaster Response Australia, which is a national volunteer organisation, or … it could be … support from the ADF,” she told ABC Radio National.
Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said a cool change would sweep through the state later on Thursday.
“We’re likely to see a cool change … into western Victoria this afternoon, central Victoria, including Melbourne, into the evening hours, and then through much of northern and eastern Victoria … overnight tonight into early hours of Friday morning,” he said.
With Olivia Ireland
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