MANY BUSH FIRES

Grey River Argus, 14 March 1940, Page 6

MANY BUSH FIRES

FOLLOW HEAT WAVE In Many Parts of Victoria : Aust. & N.Z. Cable Assn.l (Received March 13, 11-40 P-™-) MELBOURNE, March 13. With the city at a day of 103 <K>g re “ e a^ u X there which ‘X «sh P S - rag .n g >n been destroyed at Mortlake in the western district, where one woman and one lireflS The r seaside township of Torquay, in the Geelong district, is by fires. Several hundreds militia and cavalrymen are encamped the: and all assisting to fight the b re sPreparations were being made late this afternoon to evacuate the township. Much damage has been done to the properties nearby. A fierce fight is being waged to save properties at Woodend and Macedon, where many Melbourne residents have fine country homes. At one stage the Clyde Girls’ Grammar School at Macedon was in grave danger, but the fire fighters’ efforts proved successful. The girl students were removed to safety. Two houses have been burnt in Belgrave, twenty-five miles from Melbourne.

There are fires raging in many parts of the Gippsland milling areas. By order of the Forests Commission, under the powers granted in the legislation passed since last year’s disastrous fires, all saw milling operations in the affected areas have ceased, and the employees are being used in fire fighting. The order affects seventyfive mills.

The spread of the fires is being facilitated by strong undergrowth since the last fires.

Warrandyte township, fifteen miles from Melbourne, which was almost wiped out last January, was again endangered to-day, but fire fighters diverted the path of the flames. A weather change is due early tomorrow, which is expected to end the danger.