A bushfire is closing in on a school and homes in East Gippsland, triggering an emergency warning for residents in a small town to leave immediately.
Authorities have warned residents of Goongerah not to take the threat lightly, and said help may not be available if they decide to stay in the town.
“It’s moving slowly but it is within 400 metres of the township,” a state control centre spokesman said.
“It is a concern because it’s burning towards a school and some homes. We think there’s about 60 people that live in the area so there’s probably about 20 or 30 homes.”
The fire is moving northwest of Goongerah School and may affect part of the Goongerah Valley between Aberdeen and Ellery Creek Track.
The spokesman said the fire was not big, but that dry conditions and wind could fuel it. He said rugged country would make it “very difficult” for firefighters to fight the blaze.
He said residents should take this threat “very seriously”.
“There’s still time for residents to leave,” he said. “ The fire is not right on their back doorstep yet. They should leave now before conditions worsen because we might not be able to get to them if they do stay.”
“The community of Goongerah has been living with a fire now for three weeks and we want to make sure that they understand that this is a new risk and not just a continuation of the old risk.
The warning, issued at 2.30pm, advised residents to leave now before conditions become “too dangerous”. “Emergency Services may not be able to help if you decide to stay,” it said.
The cause of the fire is unknown but authorities said it may have been started from lightning on Wednesday night or embers from other fires burning in the area.
