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MELBOURNE - New spot fires have begun burning ahead of a fire front north of the tiny Victorian towns of Tolmie, Toombullup and Archerton, fire authorities have warned.
Residents in the area have been warned to reconsider their fire plans if they intended to rely on electric pumps to quell flames, with the possibility of reduced or interrupted power supplies resulting from the blazes today.
The Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) have warned residents in the Tolmie and Toombullup areas, south-east of Benalla, to expect spot fires and embers from the 18,000-hectare Tatong bushfire burning nearby.
New spot fires have broken out north of Masons Road, off Upper 15 Mile Creek Road, and north of Madhouse Road.
Temperatures are expected to nudge 40 degrees Celsius, with winds gusting to 45km/h.
Incident controller Paul Blythman said power blackouts were possible in the area today.
Residents planning to stay and fight approaching fires with the aid of electrical pumps "should reconsider their fire plans to ensure that it is still appropriate to stay or change their plans to be safely out of the area early in the morning", he said.
"Today fire crews will concentrate on firefighter safety and asset protection. They will also continue to work on the southern edge of the fire in an attempt to hold the fire within containment lines," Mr Blythman said.
- AAP
