07/01/2026
🚨 IMPORTANT COMMUNITY SAFETY NOTICE 🚨
This message is being shared without embellishment. The risk is real, and lives and property may be at risk should a fire start.
Fire weather conditions forecast for Friday 9 January are shaping up to be among the most dangerous since Black Summer (2019–2020).
As of 9:00am on 8 January 2026, a CATASTROPHIC Fire Danger Rating has been forecast for Friday 9 January 2026 for the Northern Country, North Central, and Wimmera districts.
A Catastrophic rating represents the worst possible conditions for grass and bushfires.
An Extreme Fire Danger Rating has also been forecast for the remainder of the state. Action must be taken now to protect life and property.
While Warrak is within the South West Fire District, the Wimmera and North Central are only 30 minutes away. Weather conditions and landscape characteristics are similar, meaning fire behaviour and risk will also be similar.
For your safety:
If a fire starts and becomes established under these conditions, lives are likely to be lost.
Leaving bushfire-prone areas early is the safest option.
Emergency services cannot have a truck or aircraft at every property. If you choose to stay, you are likely to be on your own, significantly increasing the risk of injury or death.
⚠️ Additional Risks – Cool Change
While a cool change is expected late Friday, it may increase danger, not reduce it:
💨 Cool changes can bring storms and lightning with little or no rain, as experienced in the Grampians over the past two summers.
🌬️ Wind changes can cause fires already being controlled to change direction suddenly, placing more lives and property at risk.
What we need you to do:
❗ Take this situation seriously
❗ Activate your bushfire survival plan
❗ Leave early if you are in or near a bushfire risk area
Stay informed:
Monitor warnings and incidents via VicEmergency:
👉 www.emergency.vic.gov.au
Always have at least TWO ways to receive emergency information. Power and communications may fail during extreme heat and fire activity.
Recommended sources:
ABC Radio 774
VicEmergency App and Website
Local pages (including CFA pages — do not rely on any single page)
ABC Television
A battery-powered radio
Fire Danger Ratings are forecast using Bureau of Meteorology data up to four days in advance and can change on the day. Check the rating daily and know what action you will take at each level.
We sincerely hope these conditions pass without incident, but preparedness and early action save lives.
Stay safe. Stay informed.
For more information:
👉 https://emergency.vic.gov.au/.../conditions-worsen-for..
