Thursday has been declared a Total Fire Ban across the whole of Victoria, with an Extreme fire danger rating for the North East.
The fire risk across the state today is the worst since the Black Summer bushfires of 2019/20, so preparation is key, especially if you live within a rural landscape.
If a fire is threatening your property, the safest option is to leave early to protect yourself and your family.
The Fire Danger Rating is your trigger to act - the higher the rating, the more dangerous the situation if a fire starts.
On a Catastrophic day, leaving high risk bushfire areas the night before or early in the morning is the safest option.
Don't rely on an official warning to leave.
Bushfires can start quickly and threaten lives and homes within minutes.
Fires can move extremely quickly, and for every 10 degrees of incline, the speed of the fire will double compared to flat ground.
Grass fires can travel up to 25km/h and pulse even faster over short distances.
Make sure you have access to the state emergency alert system, VicEmergency App as the most up-to-date information service.
It's also important to know what the different warning levels mean.
"Advice" (yellow) means that an incident is occurring or has occurred in the area.
"Watch and Act" (orange) mean an emergency is developing nearby and you need to take action immediately to protect yourself and others.
"Emergency Warning" (red) means you are in imminent danger and need to take action immediately and you will be impacted.
There are also additional messages including Advice; Community Information; and Prepare to Evacuate/Evacuate Immediately.
For more information about how to act before and during a fire visit cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/before-and-during-a-fire
