What is the name and location of the bushfire?

As of December 26, 2024, the Grampians National Park Bushfire is burning in southwestern Victoria, Australia (1). The blaze is primarily active in areas near Mafeking, Dunkeld, and Victoria Valley and has reached nearly 80,000 acres (2)(3)(4).

Which cities or areas are affected by the bushfire?

The bushfire has triggered emergency warnings to leave the following areas:

• Barton
• The Grampians
• Halls Gap
• Mafeking
• Watgania

Air quality has not been significantly impacted in Victoria yet but could worsen in nearby cities like Hamilton and Horsham, depending on wind direction and smoke generated from the fire.

What is the current containment status of the bushfire?

As of December 26, the bushfire in the Grampians is currently out of control and has burned over 80,000 hectares. It grew rapidly from 500 hectares to over 5,400 hectares within 24 hours due to dry vegetation, excessive heat, and strong winds (5). Fire crews are actively working on containment with additional strike teams deployed.

Are there any evacuation orders or alerts in place?

As of December 26, there is a leave immediately emergency warning for Bellfield, Bellfield Settlement, Borough Huts, Flat Rock Crossing, Grampian Junction, Halls Gap, Jallukar, Kia Ora, Langi Logan, Londonderry, Maroona, Mininera, Moyston, Pomonal, Rossbridge, Rymney, Tatyoon, North Westmere, Nerrin Nerrin, and Willaura North (6).

There are Watch and Act - Not Safe Return warnings in Bellellen, Black Range, Bornes Hill, Denicull Creek, Fyans Creek, Garden Gully, Glenthompson, Grampians, Great Western, Heatherlie, Illwarra, Jimmy Creek, Karabeal, Mafeking, Mirranatawa, Stavely, Strathmore, Victoria Point, Victoria Valley, Willaura and numerous other communities near the Park.

How can I protect myself from bushfire smoke?

Always plan ahead to protect yourself from bushfire smoke.

• Get a free air quality app for real-time air quality alerts and forecasts.
• Shut doors and windows and set the HVAC to recirculate mode.
• Run a high-performance air purifier to filter bushfire smoke.
• Contribute to your community’s outdoor air quality data.
• Stay indoors; if you do need to go outdoors, wear a KN95/FFP2 mask.