A major operation is underway in the Upper Murray and Tallangatta Valley to complete a 300km containment line to bring the Walwa-River Road fire under control.

It has been confirmed by Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) that the blaze was started by a lightning strike in the Mt Lawson National Park 25kms west of Walwa on January 5th and has now burnt more than 105,000 hectares and the perimeter stretched around 420kms.

To date, there have been nine confirmed house losses, 53 structures (sheds) destroyed and an estimated 10,000 hectares of HVP pine plantation and communication infrastructure at Mt Lawson have been burnt.

Stable conditions over the past two days have now allowed crews to conduct controlled burning out operations to help keep communities safe.

Approximately 350 firefighters from FFMV, Country Fire Authority (CFA), Fire Rescue Victoria and NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS), ACT Fire & Rescue as well as an Incident Management team from Queensland Fire Department are working to control the fire, supported by fixed-wing aircraft and fire-bombing helicopters.

“We have successfully completed controlled burning out near Burrowye with further works planned to protect communities in and around Tallangatta Valley, Nariel Valley and Mitta Valley,” said Incident Controller, Tim Gazzard.

“These operations mean that people will see increased smoke in the area. However, it’s critical that we complete these works to reduce the impact of this bushfire.

“Constructing and consolidating containment lines around this fire will take many weeks and we want to thank the community for their patience while we complete these critical works.

“Three ‘Watch and Act’ notices are currently active for the fire and the situation can change at any time so people must monitor conditions and be ready to act.

Community safety is still the #1 priority

Approximately 200 residents attended a community meeting in Corryong yesterday morning to be updated on the situation.

Deputy Incident Controller, Dave Jensen, gave a briefing on the history of the blaze and stressed that it was still very much an active fire ground.

“On January 5th the fire burnt around 300 hectares while firefighters carried out a backburn but that was breached around 4pm the next day after conditions worsened,” he said.

“On the Thursday (January 8th) the fire took a big run on all flanks but we couldn’t see what was happening because our aircraft had been grounded due to the poor visibility.

“This was why we were ‘hard messaging’ the community and subsequently issued an evacuation notice.”

As a result, many residents attended the relief centre at the Corryong Recreation Reserve but when the fire changed direction towards the town they were evacuated by bus to Wodonga.

Fire authorities and Victoria Police are encouraging evacuees to remain where they are if possible, so as not to put added pressure on resources including temporary power and communications facilities.

“Community safety is priority and roads will be opened when it is safe to do so,” Mr Gazzard said.

“It is expected that some roads will re-open in a few days, whereas others with significant damage or in active fire grounds will take longer.

“We know that people want to get back to their properties as soon as possible but our number one priority is community safety and we cannot re-open a road until it has been deemed safe to do so.

“We understand that travelling via Holbrook isn’t convenient but rest assured we are doing everything we can to re-open the Murray Valley Highway and Great River Road safely.

“We currently have specialised crews assessing trees and working extremely hard to clear them.

“Our focus is to prioritise local access for residents, agricultural and business purposes – such as providing fodder for livestock, supporting dairy farmers with tanker access, providing generators for those that need them along with critical infrastructure repairs. Fodder deliveries are being co-ordinated in scheduled times of the day to ensure safety.

“To ensure roads can be re-opened as quickly as possible, members of the public are asked to avoid these areas until advised otherwise,” Mr Gazzard added.

In other news, North East Water has reassured all customers in bushfire-affected towns that the tap water is safe to drink.

“Our water treatment plants are fully equipped to manage any changes in water quality,” said Managing Director, Jo Murdoch.

See all the photos in the issue.
This article appeared in Corryong Courier, 15 January 2026.