Community meeting hears residents may soon be allowed to go home

CFA District 17 assistant chief fire officer Mark Gunning told a community meeting at the Ararat Relief Centre at Alexandra Oval on Wednesday afternoon, "We will start to allow residency access very shortly".

Fire crews are continuing to battle the out of control blaze that hit Pomonal on Tuesday, February 13.

"At the moment at Pomonal, it is still an out of control fire. It is not raging like it was yesterday, but it's not contained yet."

Mr Gunning also raised several safety concerns related to people returning to the area, including fallen power lines still holding charge, weakened tree branches that can fall, and asbestos in people's damaged homes.

Victoria Police superintendent Sharon McCrory said the police's priority is the safety of the community and the people on the fire grounds.

"We are bringing in resources from outside our division to assist with reassurance patrols ... to keep you as the community safe, and to provide some added sense of security to you," she said.

Shortly after 9am on Tuesday, February 13, a band of lightning went through the Grampians that started several fires including the Bellfield and Mt Stapylton fires that burned more than 6000 ha in and around the Grampians National Park.

"We told you the day before it was going to be a catastrophic day, and on catastrophic days, fire fighters can't do much," Mr Gunning said.

"Mother nature really takes hold and kicks the fire along.

"In saying that, for as long as they could, fire fighters did tremendously good work ... We did have our aircraft grounded because of the really strong winds."