Global desk – More than 100 homes have been destroyed as a bushfire took aggressive turn on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road on the Christmas Day, officials said.
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According to a state’s emergency services spokesman, they have confirmed a number of 98 homes burned at the Wye River community, as well as 18 more at Separation Creek.
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Hundreds of firefighters using dozens of trucks and support from aircraft are fighting the blaze, which is relatively small at 2,200 hectares.
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He warned that although the immediate threat had eased, the fire had the “potential to burn” for weeks to come.
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In 2009, Victoria witnessed Australia’s worst ever bushfire disaster, which has since been dubbed Black Saturday.
Residents of the tourist town of Lorne were among those told to leave their homes but, even after this order was lifted, authorities said the fires were still strong.
The Great Ocean Road is one of Australia’s biggest tourist draws with its spectacular scenery and unusual offshore rock formations.
It is not yet known how many homes destroyed were owned by permanent residents and how many belonged to holidaymakers, but the damage is significant.
Cooler weather and heavy rain overnight slowed the spread of the fire though fire fighters warned they have yet to bring the situation under control, the report said.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has since announced government grants of $1,300 to those affected by the bushfires, who have lost their homes or are unable to return.
“We won’t know know until we go back if it’s still there”, he said.
Victoria Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley commended the residents for following the evacuation warning.
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The fire later jumped the Great Ocean Road and reached the beach, but Mr Jacobs, his mother, sister and her boyfriend had left for Wye River and then to Apollo Bay.
