Three people remain unaccounted for after a bushfire destroyed a home at Longwood East in Victoria’s north, as authorities warn it is now too late for some residents to leave the fire-affected area.
Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Bob Hill said officers were searching for a man, woman and child who were last seen outside the property before it was destroyed by fire.
“Later that afternoon, those same fire service representatives reattended that area to see the house that they saw those three people standing in front of had been completely destroyed,” Mr Hill said.
“Those three people remain unaccounted for. Those three people, we do not know at this point of time where they may be.”
He said the area remained too dangerous for firefighters to enter.
“That particular area in Longwood East where that house has been destroyed is still a hot spot, and we’re yet to be able to put the strike teams from the fire service into that area to conduct an assessment for us.”
The Longwood fire, about 150 kilometres north of Melbourne, has been described as “uncontrollable” as strong winds and extreme heat continue to fuel the blaze.
Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch warned residents not to ignore evacuation advice.
“Failure to evacuate from impacted areas could result in your life being lost,” he said.
Nearby Ruffy was hit by the fire front on Friday morning, with homes and community buildings destroyed.
“We know that we have had the community centre and the telephone exchange damaged or lost at the township of Ruffy,” Mr Wiebusch said.
“In and around the Ruffy township, there are multiple homes that have been lost to fire.”
Ruffy CFA community safety officer Felicity Sloman said at least 20 buildings had been destroyed, though the full impact was still unclear.
“We don’t know how many properties we’ve lost because communications are down, but it’s minimum 20 I would say,” she told ABC News.
CFA captain George Noye said the damage was extensive.
“The main street looks like a bomb’s gone off,” he told ABC News Breakfast.
“We’ve lost a school. The CFA shed’s still standing.”
Firefighters say conditions are so dangerous they have little chance of containing the blaze. About 400 volunteers and 93 firefighting vehicles are on the ground, but aircraft have been unable to fly due to strong winds.
Interstate support has been brought in, with dozens of firefighters from NSW already assisting and more due to arrive over the weekend.
Victoria is now dealing with multiple emergency-level fires, including a grassfire near Natimuk in the state’s west, where residents have been urged to leave immediately.
Premier Jacinta Allen warned people not to stay and defend their homes.
“For those who might be thinking that they can stay and defend in these conditions – don’t,” she said.
“It’s dangerous, it’s not courageous.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was receiving regular briefings and urged people to follow official advice.
“If you’re asked to leave your property, please do,” he said.
Emergency relief centres are open across affected regions, with authorities continuing to urge residents to stay informed and avoid travel in fire-affected areas.
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