Live: Town of Ruffy 'severely' impacted by bushfire, as thousands lose power across Victoria
SOURCE:ABC Australia|BY:Melissa Brown, Elissa Steedman, and Kate Higgins
Victorian and South Australian authorities are bracing for "catastrophic" and "extreme" fire conditions as Australia continues to swelter through a heatwave. Follow live.
Firefighters are working to contain multiple out-of-control fires as night falls on Victoria, the most concerning being the enormous Longwood fire, which has been threatening several townships as it spreads through central Victoria.
Authorities are concerned a change in wind direction expected on Friday evening could hamper their efforts, as it pushes the blazes into new directions.
Three people, including a child, remain unaccounted-for after a house burned down in Longwood.
The Country Fire Authority says cooler, calmer conditions might allow firefighters to assess the impact of multiple blazes in the coming days.
Catch up on how Friday's events unfolded below.
Key Events
2 hours agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 1:28pm
3 hours agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 12:55pm
3 hours agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 12:42pm
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20h agoThu 8 Jan 2026 at 7:20pm
Stay up to date with the latest warnings from emergency services
By Madi Chwasta
In an emergency, the ABC will broadcast regular warnings on ABC Radio.
Alpine National Park fire, north-west of Bairnsdale
Information on those fires' changing conditions can be found at VicEmergency.
Thanks for being with us, and stay safe.
2h agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 1:47pm
Firefighters continue to battle out-of-control blazes across Victoria
By Annabel Bowles
More than 60 fires ignited in Victoria on Friday with multiple blazes at Emergency level.
Dozens of properties are feared lost and three people remain missing. The Longwood fire in central Victoria, the biggest in the state, has razed several homes.
To catch up on the key events, you can read our wrap of Friday's coverage below.
2h agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 1:43pm
When the VicEmergency website doesn't work, refresh it
By Madi Chwasta
The State Control Centre (SCC) has released a message about the VicEmergency website occasionally not working.
"Earlier today some VicEmergency users on the website and app received a pop up message. The message read 'Error – Unable to load the latest warnings and incidents information'," the SCC says.
"This message can appear when website traffic is as busy as it was today. When the website is refreshed or automatically reloads, the website will load as usual."
The SCC says Victorians should not rely on just one source of information.
Some other sources include:
Local emergency broadcasters such as ABC Local Radio, commercial and select community radio stations, or SkyNews TV
Longwood fire moves in easterly direction after wind change
By Madi Chwasta
The Longwood fire in central Victoria has changed direction and is now heading east after a wind change.
Multiple Emergency warnings are in place surrounding the fire and dozens of towns have been told to take shelter.
"The bushfire is travelling from Alexandra in a easterly direction," the warnings read.
"This fire is threatening homes and lives.
"It is too late to leave the area safely so you must take shelter now."
For full details about these warnings, visit the VicEmergency website.
(Supplied: VicEmergency)
Key Event
2h agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 1:28pm
South-westerly wind change continues across Victoria
By Charlie Mills
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Ilana Cherny told ABC Radio some wind conditions were becoming more favourable as a south-westerly change sweeps across the state.
"For that Longwood and surrounds fire, we did see the south-westerly wind change move through about a couple hours ago," she said.
She said winds in the area had dropped to 20km/h, bringing cooler air with a south-westerly change.
More broadly, she said the change is nearing Far East Gippsland and the NSW Border in the state's south.
But, she said "around another significant fire at Dargo, we're still looking at north-to north-easterly winds there".
In high country through Victoria's north, Ms Cherny said winds "are still pretty strong".
"We're likely to see the south-westerly change move through Wangaratta in the next hour or so."
She said the change will reach the Albury area at around 2am, ahead of "milder conditions" tomorrow.
"Although we could still see some quite brisk south-westerly wind and hence we are still looking at a high fire danger."
2h agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 1:19pm
'Never seen devastation like this'
By Jesse Thompson
Residents near fire-affected areas are providing an early indication of the scale of destruction across Victoria.
"Our children are the sixth generation on the property and my father-in-law, who's never lived off the farm, has never seen devastation like this," Avenel resident Laura Jeffery told the ABC News Channel.
"They've lost almost everything on their property, which spans about 5,000 acres, except they've saved a few houses.
"The whole region is going to need a lot of support — not just financially, but to support the farmers that have lost the land they put their blood, sweat and tears into."
Avenel is one of the central Victorian towns affected by the Longwood bushfire, the largest blaze currently burning in the state.
3h agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 1:05pm
Walwa fire 'created its own thunderstorm'
By Judd Boaz
A fire has been burning in the Mt Lawson State Park since Monday, endangering town in Victoria's north-east border with NSW
Hot, harsh condition fed the blaze on Thursday, causing it to form smoke-fed thunderstorms above the area.
"The Walwa fire went pyroconvective. It created its own thunderstorm," said Country Fire Authority chief Jason Heffernan.
(Facebook: DEECA Hume)
It has now burnt through 33,000 hectares of land, with major damage done to more than a 1,000 hectares of a pine plantation in the area.
An Emergency warning is currently in place for towns in the Tallangatta Valley area including Corryong, Tallangatta, Walwa and Burrowye.
(Facebook: DEECA Hume)
Premier Jacinta Allan acknowledged earlier tonight on 9 News that properties had been lost in the Towong Shire Council where the fire is located.
Dozens of vehicles are working to battle the blaze, as well as a contingent of 90 firefighters from the NSW Rural Fire Service.
Authorities say over 100 more are expected to cross the border to assist on Saturday.
(Facebook: DEECA Hume)
(Facebook: DEECA Hume)
3h agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 1:00pm
'Ageing' equipment impacts firefighting ability, says CFA volunteer
By Charlie Mills
A Country Fire Authority volunteer has told ABC Radio this evening that aging equipment has hampered efforts to save properties in Yarck, a small town in the upper Goulburn Valley region that's been impacted by the Longwood fire.
"If the truck hadn't broken down today, we could have saved the other house," Bob from Yarck said.
"If all the trucks were up to speed and everything else, nothing was going wrong, I think we'd be a lot better off."
Bob said it looked like "two or three" homes had been lost in the area.
Key Event
3h agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 12:55pm
More Emergency warnings for Ravenswood South fire
By Madi Chwasta
The Emergency warning for the Ravenswood South fire has extended further east.
The grassfire, south of Bendigo, is travelling in an easterly direction from Ravenswood and is not yet under control.
It has crossed the Calder Highway and has burnt through Mount Alexander.
An Emergency warning has been issued to Elphinstone, Harcourt North, Metcalfe, Sedgwick and Sutton Grange.
People in these areas should leave immediately.
A "leave now" Watch and Act warning is in place for Axe Creek, Myrtle Creek, Pilchers Bridge, Sedgwick, Lyal and Redesdale.
"Don't wait — if you are not prepared to stay, leaving now is the safest option," the warning says.
"Conditions may change and get worse very quickly."
(Supplied: VicEmergency)
3h agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 12:55pm
Widespread power outages, batteries failing
By Jesse Thompson
Here's a little more detail on the current situation from the Country Fire Authority chief Jason Heffernan, who was interviewed on the ABC News Channel earlier.
"As many Victorians are probably aware right now, we do have widespread power outages," he said.
"That's leading to some of our telecommunications towers that have been running on battery back-up for quite some time starting to fail.
"In addition, many residents who have NBN and the like — who don't have a battery back-up or do have a battery back-up that has been running for quite a number of hours now — is also starting to fail.
"Tonight we are asking Victorians: if you are around any of the fires that are burning or you live in any of the impact zone maps that we have produced, we are asking you to make sure that you have access to a battery-powered radio to listen to your emergency broadcaster."
He reiterated that the state would soon experience "a couple of days of cooler, calmer-type weather", potentially allowing firefighters to access affected areas and assess the impact of the fires.
3h agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 12:50pm
Walwa fire destroys farmland, potential property losses unclear
By Jesse Thompson
Peter Tolsher is the mayor of the Towong Shire Council, which covers areas affected by the Walwa bushfire in the state's north-east.
He said the fire was "very, very uncontrollable" as conditions deteriorated this afternoon.
"Most of the time the fire was in national park, but it did breach that and go into farmland, through the pines up at Shelley," he told ABC News Channel.
"There has been the destruction of farm fences. I’m not too sure about buildings. No doubt I’ll get an update on that tomorrow."
Peter Tolsher is the mayor of the Towong Shire Council (ABC News)
Key Event
3h agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 12:42pm
Walwa fire in north-east Victoria remains out of control
By Madi Chwasta
It's been a while since we provided an update on the Walwa fire in north-east Victoria.
There are still several Emergency warnings in place as the bushfire remains out of control.
It's currently moving in a southerly direction from the northern end of the Tallangatta Valley.
Areas including the Tallangatta Valley, Bullioh, Mitta Valley including Tallandoon, Eskdale, Mitta Mitta, Dartmouth and surrounds have been told to leave immediately.
(Supplied: VicEmergency)
Georges Creek, Jarvis Creek, Bethanga, Talgarno and surrounds are under a Watch and Act warning and have been told to monitor the changing conditions.
3h agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 12:35pm
What's the situation in Harcourt?
By Jesse Thompson
Is there any update on Harcourt? I'm seeing on Reddit that huge chunks of the town are lost.
- Beth
Thanks for the question, Beth.
The following update was issued by the local incident controller, Michael Masters, shortly before 10pm. He’s confirmed "a number of houses and primary places of residence have been destroyed”"
"This fire has moved rapidly during the afternoon and has impacted the town of Harcourt," he said.
"That wind change that was expected through Victoria has impacted the fire and that's caused erratic fire behaviour, and we've seen the fire move up onto the slopes of Mount Alexander.
"It's likely that that wind will continue to influence the fire and push it in an east, north-easterly direction, over the top of Mount Alexander and towards townships to the east."
More than 60 firefighting vehicles and about 300 firefighters are battling the blaze, but Ms Masters said their ability to control it had been limited.
"The behaviour of the fire with the winds and the high temperatures we've experienced has made it impossible for us to do any control work on that fire," he said.
"Our main focus has been on protecting assets in the path of the fire."
As a result, it's unlikely the fire will be controlled this evening.
Advice about the fire's movement is obviously subject to change, so remember to visit VicEmergency for up-to-date information.
3h agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 12:31pm
Advice-level message for Wallan grassfire
By Madi Chwasta
The Wandong Fire Brigade have posted this image of the grassfire at Wallan, north of Melbourne.
It's under control and there's currently no threat, but there's an Advice message for Wallan and Beveridge to "stay informed".
(Facebook: Wandong Fire Brigade)
3h agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 12:21pm
'Bizarre': Mercury in Melbourne spikes by 15 degrees in just an hour
By Tyne Logan
Melbournians, did you notice you had to kick off your sheets about 4am this morning?
In a "bizarre" weather phenomenon, Melbourne Airport's overnight temperature rapidly rose from 21C to 36C in the space of an hour at 4am, before dropping back down again shortly after.
To see those kinds of dramatic temperature spikes is not common, especially not during the night.
"It is quite bizarre. It's definitely not a regular thing," climate scientist Andrew Watkins, an adjunct professor at Monash University, said.
(Supplied)
Dr Watkins said there was still a bit of "head scratching" on exactly what had caused it, but it was likely to be related to the thunderstorms helping bring hot air from high up in the atmosphere down to ground level, where the air had cooled.
"Sometimes what that cooling does it sort of separates what's happening at the surface from what's happening higher up. And so there can be stronger winds just up a few hundred metres than what there are on the ground that have been separated by a temperature inversion.
"Last night, these strong, hot winds were blasting along up above our heads in Melbourne.
"And it looks as though quite possibly that a thunderstorm came into the mix and helped mix that air down briefly around Melbourne Airport and those [other] locations. And that basically brought that hot air from up above down to the surface for a little while.
"When the thunderstorm petered out and went past, the temperatures dropped down again as sort of that air above and the air at the ground separated once more."
Similar temperature spikes were observed at other spots around the city.
The temperature inversion meant that up until the early hours of the morning, Fernie Creek at the top of Mount Dandenong was actually the hottest place in Melbourne – a site that is usually 3-5C cooler than Melbourne.
A similar situation occurred in Adelaide during a major heatwave in 2009, which superseded the Black Saturday bushfires.
On the morning of 29 January, at around 3am, temperatures suddenly rose to 41.7C at the RAAF site – an event that meteorologists described as "exceptional", having never happened before in South Australia.
Key Event
4h agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 12:13pm
Almost 40,000 homes without power
By Charlie Mills
There are almost 40,000 homes without power across Victoria, with thousands of those in fire zones.
AusNet's Karen Windsbury, which services the east of Victoria, said 8,000 of the homes it services were without power and in a fire zone.
"That's going to be a really difficult part of the network to restore," MsWindsbury told ABC Radio.
"We've got two main outages that we're focusing on at the moment — one in Beechworth, and one in the Benalla region."
Ms Windsbury said planning for restoration of services will begin tomorrow.
"We've been essentially unable to get our crews into investigate any of those areas," she said.
"Some good news at this stage we will be able to get a helicopter into fire damaged areas, just to inspect the nature of that damage and plan for what that restoration looks like."
She said it could be days before power is restored for some homes.
4h agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 11:50am
Harcourt residents say multiple homes lost in town
By Kate Higgins
Residents are reporting the town of Harcourt has been badly impacted by the Ravenswood fire, burning near Mount Alexander, south of Bendigo in central Victoria.
Faye spoke to ABC Radio this evening.
She said her family had originally planned to evacuate, but felt they had nowhere to go, with local shelters deemed unsafe by authorities and the road to nearby Castlemaine blocked.
She said she had managed to save her house, but the surrounds had been destroyed.
Faye said it was a similar story for the town she had lived in all her life.
"We haven't got a Harcourt anymore, there's too many houses gone," she said.
She said her street had been "lucky" with just two houses lost, but she'd heard of another where all the homes had been destroyed.
"Mount Alexander's just a red glow now, it's burning from top to bottom," she said.
"I've lived here 70 years ... I really thought we were going to be safe … and next thing, the wind changed. That was it, she was all over.
"We've got a house and we're very lucky.
"I've had lots of messages and offers of help, but there's nothing really you can do because the whole [of] Harcourt's on fire.
"You can't do anything, there's nowhere to go."
Key Event
4h agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 11:45am
Police investigate man's death near Ravenswood South fire
By Madi Chwasta
A man believed to be in his 60s has been found dead in a vehicle in Harcourt.
He was found unresponsive by fire authorities and ambulance personnel while they were responding to the nearby Ravenswood South fires about 4:45pm.
Police have been told the man's vehicle was found in the paddock of his private property.
While the circumstances surrounding the man's death are unknown at the moment, police say it's not believed to be directly related to the nearby fire.
Local detectives, who weren't able to attend the scene immediately due to the nearby fires, attended the scene Friday evening once the immediate area was deemed safe.
Police say they will prepare a report for the coroner.
Key Event
4h agoFri 9 Jan 2026 at 11:38am
Victorian premier's electorate impacted by fire
By Madi Chwasta
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan represents the seat of Bendigo East — areas of which are currently under an emergency evacuation warning due to the Ravenswood South fire.
"So many communities across Victoria are being told to leave tonight, including mine," she writes in a post on social media.
"If you are told to leave — do not wait. Follow the advice. Leave now."
