Fires, floods and more wild weather - Victorian towns evacuated as inferno rages but fears of cyclone hitting Northern Territory have eased

Victorian towns evacuated as inferno rages but fears of cyclone hitting Northern Territory have eased.

 

A total of 53 homes had been lost and hundreds were in danger early today as an out-of-control bushfire continues to burn through tourist towns along Victoria's surf coast.
As Lorne, Allenvale, North Lorne and Cumberland River residents evacuated their homes, the Country Fire Authority said it was too late for people to leave Wye River, Separation Creek, Kennett River and Grey River if they had not already done so.
"You are in danger, act now to protect yourself. It is too late to leave. The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately," the CFA warned.
A State Control Centre spokeswoman confirmed 53 homes lost in Wye River and Separation Creek.
She said spot fires were landing up to 2km out from the fire front, and even as far as the coast line.
Temperatures hit 35C yesterday, while strong winds were making firefighting efforts difficult.

Earlier in the day, Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley said the Wye River fire was the major concern for the day. "It's a lightning strike that started just under a week ago, and it's in exactly the wrong spot to have a fire," he said.
An emergency warning was also in place for Sunbury, on Melbourne's northwestern outskirts, as a grass fire threatened homes.
Meanwhile, a Boxing Day cyclone was looking less likely to form off the Northern Territory. On Thursday, forecasters predicted it to form today, but yesterday this was looking less likely, although the wild weather was still said to be "near enough".
The Bureau of Meteorology said the low-pressure system, which had been forecast to move southeast and form into a cyclone over the Gulf of Carpentaria, had instead looped back to settle over the Top End.
The eastern side of the gulf was being pummelled by severe thunderstorms, heavy rainfalls of up to 300mm in some areas, flash flooding, heavy surf and strong to gale-force winds with gusts of up to 90km/h.