Grim fire predictions ‘starting to come to fruition’

With fires burning in Gippsland, CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan warns “the predictions are starting to come to fruition”.

It comes after predictions this fire season will be severe due to high fuel loads and the El Niño weather pattern.

Watch and Act alerts are in place for Culloden, Morrnapa, Briagolong, Cobbannah and Glenalade. Warnings for fires in Loch Sport and Rawson have been downgraded to Advice messages.

Press PLAY below to hear the latest

CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan told Neil Mitchell Tuesday morning will be difficult for firefighters, but there’s relief on the horizon.

“We are expecting a major rainfall event later on this week … we’ll see potentially up to some 200mm of rain fall across the north-eastern part of the state so that will put a hold on the season for a couple of weeks but it wont take long for the bushland and grassland areas to dry out again and we’ll be back into bushfire dangers,” he said.

• See the latest emergency warnings HERE.

Image: Nine News