Evacuated Halls Gap residents given brief chance to return home as state braces for extreme conditions on Boxing Day [Video]

Residents and business owners of Halls Gap, a small village in the Grampians National Park in Victoria’s west, will be allowed to briefly return to their homes today to collect personal items after fleeing from out-of-control bushfires.

Authorities are bracing for extreme fire danger in the region, and across the state more broadly, with temperatures expected to climb into the mid-40s on Boxing Day.

The fire in Grampians National Park has now grown to more than 40,000 hectares and a 100-strong interstate personnel is being deployed to assist with the response.

Deputy Premier Ben Carroll has warned Boxing Day will be “problematic” and Victorians must be prepared for fires that have not yet started.

“The advice is very clear, this is the beginning of what will be a long, hot and dangerous bushfire …