Temperature hits
shopping patterns
STRATEGY TIME: Yaapeet Fire Brigade captain Troy Fisher discusses tactics with CFA officer Joel Davies.
Wartook in peril
Bushfires out of control across Wimmera
Emergency services
By Matt Coughlan
BUSHFIRES were burning out
of control across the Wimmera
last night as the region braced for
another day of extreme fire danger.
As the Mail-Times went to
press, two fires had merged in the
Grampians, creating the Grampians-
Northern Grampians fire threaten-
ing Wartook and Laharum.
For residents of the Smiths Road
area of Wartook, it was too late to
leave.
All roads in and out of the
Grampians National Park were
closed late yesterday and will be
closed again today.
Because of the mountainous
terrain the fire was primarily being
fought from the air, with ground
crews also providing assistance, but
resources were stretched as dozens
of other fires demanded attention
elsewhere across the state.
The Country Fire Authority
advised people at Roses Gap,
PAGE 10 Friday January 17 2014 THE MAIL-TIMES
SUPPLY CHAIN: Gina Boehm, Elaine Fuller, Claire White and Jan
Edelsten prepare food for fire-fighters at Yaapeet Community Centre.
Pictures: PAUL CARRACHER
Heathvale, Laharum, Zumsteins and overnight to battle the Grampians
Wartook to leave their properties blaze but today’s conditions would
before it was too late. cause extreme danger.
Department of Environment
and Primary Industries spokes- “Whatever happens, we’re work-
woman Melissa Douglas said fire ing really hard because Friday is
crews were prepared to work hard going to be really bad,” she said.
The mercury is tipped to reach 44
degrees during the afternoon, before
a cool change brings wind gusts
of up to 80kmh and thunderstorms
about 5pm.
Elsewhere in the Wimmera, an
emergency warning was in place
for Buckhurst, Arthurs Road, Red
Bluff Road and Taylors Road north-
west of Telopea Downs to the South
Australian border because of a
fast-moving out-of-control bushfire.
Residents were advised to leave
their properties before it was too
late.
The 6656-hectare Lake
Albacutya-Yaapeet f ire also
had residents on guard with
Warracknabeal, Hopetoun and
Rainbow all remaining on alert
throughout the night.
Lightning also sparked dozens
of smaller fires across the region.
Business
By Matt Coughlan
WHILE no-one has welcomed this week’s extreme heat,
in some ways the scorching temperatures could not have
come at a better time for some industry sectors.
Business Horsham chairwoman Andrea Cross said for
some businesses, the heatwave had come at the same time
as the usual post-Christmas lull.
“January is generally a quiet month after the Christmas
rush,” she said.
She said the heat had affected some retail businesses
though, with many shoppers preferring to get the day’s
jobs done in the morning, making the hotter hours quiet.
“Some businesses are closing earlier than usual but it’s
not a significant impact because it’s generally their quiet
months.
“The food industry, everybody still needs to eat. There’s
still the tourist traffic that’s coming through and they’re a
lot busier in the mornings than the afternoons.”
Acting manager at Safeway Horsham Gary Ellis said
business had been steady. He echoed Mrs Cross’s sentiments
about shoppers trying to avoid the hottest part of the day.
“We’re busy still but the middle of the afternoon is too
hot for anyone to shop,” he said.
The hot weather has caused a rush on purchases designed
to cool people down. Mr Ellis said some departments were
struggling to keep up with demand.
“We sold out of watermelon halfway through the day,”
he said.
“You can’t keep up with the demand on ice-creams.”
Lightning kills cows
The aftermath
By Matt Coughlan
WEDNESDAY afternoon’s electrical storm caused heart-
break for one McKenzie Creek woman after four of her
pet cows were struck by lightning and killed.
Elsie Exell lost Gem, Suzie, Millie and Millie’s calf
Snowball in the freak accident.
“I’m 78 years old and I’ve never seen anything like it,”
she said.
“The neighbours all heard the loud thunder clap; well
it had to be a tree or something but instead of a tree being
struck it was my cows.”
The Exells’ property bore the brunt of strong storm
activity about 5pm on Wednesday, leading them to check
for fires or damage.
Mrs Exell’s husband, Ken, said what they found came
as a complete surprise.
“They were just dead under the tree. We could not see
a mark on them or anything,” he said.
The Exells said they measured 17mm of rain, consider-
ably more than the 1.6mm recorded at Horsham Aerodrome.
“It’s just so unusual, we must have been right under the
storm,” Mrs Exell said.
She said it was hard to accept such a random event had
taken away her beloved pets.
“They were all my pet cows, absolute pets they were,”
she said. “I’m feeling very sad and very disappointed, I’ve
never seen anything like it in all my lifetime.”
State Emergency Service regional operations manager
Kendra Clegg said that despite the storm, the service had
only received three call-outs including one in Anderson
Road, Dimboola, where a house was hit by lightning.
No-one was hurt in the incident, and the power supply
at the house was unaffected.
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