Residents in parts of Victoria that still carry the scars of the 2009 Black Saturday disaster have been urged to leave early as catastrophic fire danger, extreme heat and a predicted wind change threaten to push major blazes into new ground.
On Friday, January 9, 2026, Kinglake and Marysville were among the communities warned by emergency services to get ready to evacuate due to worsening conditions later in the day when a cool change was predicted to swing winds and make fire behaviour more unpredictable.
The Bureau of Meteorology said damaging wind gusts were likely across large parts of the state, compounding the risk of fast moving fires and ember attack in forested and grassland areas.
Authorities have repeatedly warned that wind changes are among the most dangerous periods in a fire event because they can turn a flank into a new head fire, catching people and crews off guard.
The most concerning blaze has been the Longwood fire in central Victoria. Emergency Victoria said conditions on Friday would be the worst the state has seen since Black Summer in 2019-20 with catastrophic and extreme fire conditions forecast statewide.
It warned the Longwood fire was incredibly dynamic and could threaten communities including Creighton, Strathbogie, Merton, Yarck, Molesworth, Alexandra and surrounding areas through Friday night.
Police said a man, woman and child were unaccounted for after a house was destroyed in Longwood East as firefighters worked to contain multiple fires burning across the state.
In nearby Ruffy, early damage assessments suggested significant property losses with local reports indicating at least 20 structures may have been destroyed though full impact figures were still emerging as conditions remained dangerous.
In parts of the Longwood warning area, VicEmergency advice has said it was already too late to evacuate safely, directing people to take shelter indoors rather than travel on roads exposed to smoke, falling trees and embers.
Elsewhere, communities on the edges of fire zones have been urged to enact bushfire survival plans early before the wind shift and peak heat arrive.
A second major fire burning near Mount Lawson in the state’s north east has also been flagged as a serious threat. Emergency Victoria listed Burrowye, Granya, Bullioh, Shelley, Lucyvale, Cudgewa and Colac Colac among places that could be impacted as the fire travelled south.
Premier Jacinta Allan has warned Victorians the next period could be among the most perilous of the emergency, urging people not to stay behind to defend homes when officials have advised leaving.
At least 70,000 properties were without power at one stage as heat and fire impacts spread into critical infrastructure, adding pressure to households, small businesses and local services.
The Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing said emergency relief payments were available for eligible residents affected by the bushfires in Strathbogie, Towong, Mansfield and Murrindindi shires with applications via the VicEmergency hotline or through emergency relief centres.
Emergency services have urged residents to keep checking updated warnings as conditions shift through the evening, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting the wind change to move across central parts of Victoria during the early evening.
