Aussie Firefighters Battle To Control Gippsland Bushfire - 540K Hectares Burned Already - Age

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FIREFIGHTERS are battling desperately to halt the eastward advance of the Gippsland bushfire before conditions worsen later this week. Incident controller Dennis Matthews yesterday predicted that Thursday could be "a horror day", with hot northerly winds pushing fires towards communities as temperatures head into the mid-30s.

Bruthen, which won a reprieve on Sunday when a wind change blew the approaching fire away from it, could again find itself threatened. Clifton Creek and Waterholes are also expected to come under threat. "There's a lot of fire really stewing in there and burning really hot," Mr Matthews said.

But a change expected on Thursday night will bring south-westerly winds, cooler temperatures and the chance of isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mr Matthews said fire services were working frantically to prevent the blaze crossing to bushland on the east side of the Great Alpine Road and threatening communities such as Buchan and Nowa Nowa. "If it gets across there, it goes into country that is really difficult to hold," he said.

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Fire services will continue to back-burn today while logging machines and bulldozers prepare firebreaks. Crews have already completed more than 200 kilometres of control line along the southern edge of the fire, which last night had burned more than 540,000 hectares.

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http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/fire-battle-as-horror-day-approaches/2007/01/08/1168104922292.html