A MAN has been arrested over a huge fire on Melbourne's northern fringe which destroyed one house as it burnt through 2000ha of land.
Detectives from Whittlesea CIU have interviewed the 48-year-old Geelong man over allegations of recklessly causing a bushfire under the CFA Act.
He has been released and is expected to be charged on summons.
The grass fire hit the Epping, Wollert, Kalkallo and Donnybrook areas yesterday, with residents fleeing their homes and smoke causing gridlock on the Hume Freeway. Sheds on people's properties were also destroyed and five firefighters suffered minor injuries.
Police have urged locals or anyone else who was in the area at the time of the fire and suffered property loss or damage to call Whittlesea CIU on 9407 3333.
The arrest came as Victoria's fire chief Craig Lapsley said yesterday's fire should be a "reality check" for residents of Melbourne's outer urban fringes.
Mr Lapsley congratulated a combined effort from emergency services in battling both the Donnybrook blaze, on Melbourne's north, and the Grampians fire which continues to burn in bushland in Victoria's west.
There were reports a house was destroyed but it was later discovered to be a large shed.
The proximity of the fire to the city meant significant MFB resources were also devoted to controlling the inferno.
But while Mr Lapsley applauded emergency services for keeping the community informed he was concerned residents weren't prepared for the danger they faced in Melbourne's semi-rural fringes.
"I think the most important thing is this is a reality check for everyone that lives in that outer metropolitan area that grassland fires are a reality, will continue to be a reality in the landscape that we live in.
"February will continue to be dry, we've got no rain forecast for the immediate future. For the next number of weeks this fire that we saw yesterday has the reality to be Melton, Sunbury, in all of the northern suburbs, western suburbs in Melbourne, and certainly in eastern and southern suburbs around Melbourne, so we need to take that and understand it."
Rain eased the threat of the grassfire in the city's northern outskirts this morning after consuming 2040ha of land near Epping.
Although the blaze is now listed as under control, the CFA urged residents to remain vigilant as a south-westerly wind moved through the area.
Authorities feared the wind may make firefighting conditions difficult and increase the risk to homes in the Epping and Wollert areas.
Rocky terrain on the fire's eastern front was also hampering efforts, the CFA said.
"The cool change is slowly moving across the fire area and there has been a little bit of rain so that's good news," State Control Centre spokesperson Kevin Monk told 3AW.
Firefighters work to contain an out-of-control blaze in the Grampians and surrounding farmland. Picture: Jason Edwards
"We still have a watch and act out for that area around Wollert and Epping area, just until things settle down. There are some hot spots on both sides of the fire edge."
The CFA warned locals to be cautious on roads as smoke continued to make visibility poor this morning.
The Hume Highway has reopened but other roads remained closed.
Some 175 firefighters are patrolling the area.
A separate fire in the Grampians, in western Victoria, also kept fire crews busy overnight.
The slow-moving bushfire has burned more than 8080ha and was expected to affect the town of Mirranatwa earlier.
There are no reports of damage to homes.
More than 200 firefighters and 14 aircraft are battling the blaze, which could take two days to bring under control.
Peter Garner, who lives on Donnybrook Rd, almost lost his home after the fast moving fire came roaring up in the paddocks behind him. Picture: David Smith
A watch and act warning remains in place for Mirranatwa and Victoria Valley.
The blaze is affecting areas around Clutterbucks Rd, Jensens Rd and Burnt Hut Track.
DSE and CFA crews are working to protect properties as the bushfire moves in a northerly direction.
Residents impacted by the grassfire that closed the Hume Freeway at Epping were allowed to return to their homes last night.
Peter Garner, who lives on Donnybrook Rd, almost lost his home after the fast-moving fire came roaring up in the paddocks behind him.
Mr Garner said he didn't know there was a fire until six-foot-high flames were right upon the house.
"A bloke in a ute came flying in the driveway and said there's a fire," he said.
Peter Garner's dog survived the fire destroyed much of neighbouring land. Picture: David Smith
"When we first saw it it was so close to the joint, but we didn't lose anything. We were the lucky ones."
Passersby helped Mr Garner fight the fire which came within 4m of his property.
The group used wet doonas, garden hoses and a 1000-litre tanker to quell the blaze.
His partner Danielle Anderson said it was a frightening experience.
"It was roaring. Peter leapt straight into action - he didn't think twice. I just grabbed the important paperwork and our dog, Bonnie, and got in the car. Peter said 'get out of here'," she said.
The family, who have lived in the area for seven years, spent a restless night walking around the boundary to monitor embers.
The fire burned on both sides of the busy Hume Freeway around Epping and Campbellfield.
Epping North residents started to flee their homes earlier in the afternoon, seeking refuge in shopping centres and community hubs, as a fast-moving grass fire closed in.
Firefighters work to contain an out-of-control blaze in the Grampians and surrounding farmland. Picture: Jason Edwards
Cara Horner evacuated her home in Aurora Estate’s Early Bird Way about 3.10pm, taking shelter at Epping Plaza with her baby.
"I didn’t know where else to go,’’ Ms Horner said.
"The plumes of smoke were terrible; we could see the helicopter and emergency vehicles and the roads were pretty clogged up.
"I’ve received a number of phone calls and test messages from friends; some of them have left, some people are packing their bags and waiting to hear from the CFA.
"There are a lot of worried people around.
"Even though we’re on the fringe, I don’t think we see ourselves as at risk of fire and I don’t think many people even have a fire plan.’’
Northern Health acting chief executive Robynne Cooke said 10 dialysis patients and a number of IT and support service staff located in peripheral buildings were affected, but she dismissed earlier reports the hospital was evacuated.
About 40 children at the child care centre neighbouring the hospital were forced to leave and sheltered in the main building of the hospital.
Firefighters work to contain an out-of-control blaze in the Grampians and surrounding farmland. Picture: Jason Edwards
"We brought all those people into the hospital," Ms Cooke said.
"Our engineers worked with the air conditioning system because there was a lot of smoke.
"The smoke was quite evident from our windows and we could see that it was not that far away; at the junction of Hume Freeway and Cooper St.
"We worked with a Code Brown in place, staff responded appropriately and everyone was calm."
Ms Cooke said staff and patients were now able to leave the hospital.
She said staff were preparing for an expected influx of patients presenting with respiratory problems caused by smoke inhalation.
The fire alert was the second the hospital has received in the past three weeks.
A number of hospital patients were relocated to wards within the hospital on January 22, when Emergency services attended a suspicious grass fire behind the hospital.
CFA and DSE work to contain a blaze burning out of control in the Grampians and surrounding farmland. Picture: Jason Edwards
Ms Cooke said she was confident her staff would be able to handle any future emergency situations.
Keep up to date with CFA fire events at its website.
Warning came too late: resident
Epping resident Cara Horner said she had already decided to evacuate long before the CFA text message to "seek shelter’’ at 3.48pm.
"The biggest thing in all of this is how slow the CFA has been in telling our community about the danger,’’ Ms Horner said.
"I called my daughter’s childcare centre and they hadn’t heard from the CFA. When I spoke to them, they were pretty shocked that they hadn’t heard from anybody.
"I was very worried about my daughter and went to pick her up as soon as I heard something was happening.
The fast-moving grass fire at Donnybrook. Picture: Kylie Else
"I’m lucky because I work from home – I feel for parents who work in the city and can’t get there quickly.’’
Meanwhile, a 51-year-old contractor suffered serious injuries while building containment lines in Victoria’s west yesterday.
WorkSafe is investigating after the male contractor - who was deployed to the Glenlogie fire about 45km east of Ararat to assist with building containment lines - received severe injuries to his leg after an accident involving machinery at 10.28am.
The worker was airlifted to the Alfred Hospital in a serious condition.
Anyone with information about the fires is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit: www.crimestoppers.com.au
STAY SAFE
The Herald Sun has joined with fire authorities to keep Victorians informed. Check out the Bushfire Ready page for the latest advice, warnings and videos from the CFA. This page is updated with the latest warnings from across the state. Save it to your bookmarks. You can access it from our homepage (click on Bushfire Ready) from any computer. This service is not available on smart phones.
Check live weather information - including fire warnings - on your computer AND smart phone at our Weather page. Just add m.heraldsun.com.au to your smart phone bookmarks and follow the View weather forecast link.
The CFA has a live fire map. Check it out here and add to your bookmarks.
Daughter Rachel Molino shows what's left of her home. Picture: Carmelo Bazzano
Reports and alerts will also be posted to our Facebook page and from our official Twitter account.
- with Erin Marie, Anthony Dowsley, Jon Kaila, AAP
An adjoining property belonging to the Molinos, flanked by hedges. Picture: Carmelo Bazzano
Whittlesea CFA volunteer Kathryn Elovaris puts out the remains of the Wollert blaze. Picture: Carmelo Bazzano
The fire, about 27km from Melbourne, caused widespread damage in Wollert. Picture: Carmelo Bazzano
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