General News
6 January, 2026
Total Fire Ban tomorrow
A Total Fire Ban (TFB) has been declared for the Wimmera, South West and Central fire weather districts tomorrow, Wednesday, 7 January 2026. Strong north westerly winds will develop over the south west and central districts, in what will be a dry and hot day as severe heatwave conditions enter the north east of the state. Maximum temperatures will reach 42 to 44 degrees in the north and 39 to 41 in the south. A Total Fire Ban means no fire can be lit in the open air or allowed to remain alight from 12.01am to 11.59pm on the day of the Total Fire Ban. The Wimmera fire district includes Stawell and Horsham while the south-west fire district incorporates Ararat, Beaufort and Avoca.
CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said the next three days are going to be extremely
challenging for both firefighters and those living and travelling in high-risk areas due to the hot
and dry conditions, and people should be prepared to leave early and take action.
“Tomorrow’s Total Fire Ban is just one of many that we expect to declare throughout the week
as heatwave conditions elevate ahead of a spike in temperatures on Friday,” Jason said.
“Conditions tomorrow will make it difficult for firefighters to supress a fire should one start and
given the landscape has dried up significantly over recent weeks, high fuel loads pose a serious
grassfire risk.
“We’re asking people to follow the strict requirements associated with the Total Fire Ban
declaration, consider postponing harvest and cropping activities, and make sure you have your
bushfire plan ready to go.
“It is really important people take the actions needed to protect themselves and their family, and
that preparedness starts early.
“Understand how the increased fire risk will impact you and ensure your fire plan covers all
possible contingencies. Download the VicEmergency App to stay well informed.”
Victorians can find out if it is a Total Fire Ban on the CFA website www.cfa.vic.gov.au, where it
is usually published by 5pm the day before a Total Fire Ban.
For more information on what you can and can't do visit the Can I or Can't I page on the CFA
website.
Victorians should also make sure they have access to more than one source of information.
They include:
- ABC local radio, commercial and designated radio stations of Sky News
- The VicEmergency App
- The VicEmergency website www.emergency.vic.gov.au
- The VicEmergency Hotline on 1800 226 226
- CFA or VicEmergency Twitter or Facebook