A major grassfire continues to burn near Mount Mercer, prompting the Victorian government to declare a State of Disaster across 18 fire-affected municipalities. The declaration, made by Premier Jacinta Allan just after midnight on Saturday, January 10, 2026, grants authorities sweeping powers to manage the escalating emergency.
Emergency Powers Activated for Golden Plains and Surrounds
The State of Disaster declaration specifically includes the Golden Plains Shire, Colac Otway Shire, and Corangamite Shire. This legal step provides emergency services with enhanced authority to order evacuations, control access to dangerous areas, and take decisive action to protect lives and property.
As of 2am Saturday, the Mount Mercer blaze was not yet under control, with 36 emergency services vehicles deployed to fight the fire. The Country Fire Authority (CFA) has issued a series of warnings for surrounding communities.
A Stay Advised message, replacing an earlier Watch and Act alert, was current for areas including Bamganie, Cargerie, Durdidwarrah, Elaine, Lethbridge, Maude, Meredith, Morrisons, Mount Mercer, She Oaks, Shelford, Steiglitz, Teesdale, and Woodbourne. The CFA advised residents that while there is no immediate threat, they must stay informed and keep roads clear for emergency vehicles.
Firefighting Efforts and Community Impact
CFA volunteers, including crews from the Barwon Heads Fire Brigade, battled the flames overnight. A relief centre has been established at the Bannockburn Cultural Centre for affected residents.
The fire has already caused significant agricultural damage. Meredith Dairy reported losing over 160 hectares of crop and 100 hectares of bush and native grassland. The dairy thanked staff and CFA volunteers who worked to protect its main facilities from the advancing firefront.
Traffic management points are in operation at key intersections:
- Rokewood-Shelford Rd and Shelford-Mt Mercer Rd
- Mt Mercer-Dereel Rd and Shelford-Mt Mercer Rd
Smoke from the fire is likely to be visible across the region, potentially affecting air quality and visibility on roads.
Otway Fires and Power Restoration
Separately, firefighters in Colac Otway Shire are contending with three bushfires within the Great Otway National Park:
- A 12.88-hectare fire east of Kennedys Creek
- A 35.65-hectare blaze west of Carlisle River
- A 6.48-hectare fire south of Tomahawk Creek
These fires were also not under control as of Friday evening, with Watch and Act warnings expected to remain in place for local communities on Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, power has been largely restored to the Geelong region after an outage left approximately 6000 homes without electricity on Friday afternoon. By Saturday morning, only a handful of properties remained affected, according to Powercor's outage map.
The CFA is expected to provide its next formal update on the Mount Mercer fire situation by 9am on Saturday. Residents in all affected areas are urged to monitor official emergency channels closely and follow all instructions from authorities.
