Authorities have issued a grave warning that the catastrophic bushfires ravaging Victoria’s Otway Ranges could "run again" with renewed ferocity, as a blistering heatwave threatens to reignite the smoldering landscape.

The Country Fire Authority (CFA) downgraded the immediate threat level late yesterday following a brief respite in conditions, but meteorologists warn this is merely the calm before a volatile storm. With temperatures in the state’s north, particularly around Walwa, forecast to surge past 40°C (104°F) today, officials fear a repeat of the devastation that has already claimed three homes and over 16 panicked evacuations. "The beast is sleeping, not dead," warned a CFA incident controller.

A Landscape on the Brink

The Otway Ranges, a region synonymous with lush rainforests and tourism, has been transformed into a tinderbox. Dry lightning strikes earlier in the week ignited heavy fuel loads in the inaccessible terrain, creating a fire complex that has proven nightmareish to contain. The "run again" warning is specific terminology used by fire behavior analysts to describe a fire front that, having stalled, rapidly accelerates due to wind changes and thermal potential.

• The Walwa Front: In the north, the fire near Walwa remains uncontained. Emergency crews are focusing on asset protection, bulldozing containment lines around isolated homesteads as the mercury climbs.
• Wind Change Danger: A predicted south-westerly wind change later this afternoon threatens to broaden the fire flanks, potentially turning safe zones into death traps within minutes.
• Community Fatigue: Residents in Colac and surrounding shires are reporting extreme exhaustion, having been on high alert for nearly 96 hours.

Political Firestorm Erupts in Canberra

While firefighters battle the physical blaze, a political firestorm has engulfed the federal Opposition. In a stunning development reported late last night, the Coalition agreement appears to be fracturing under the weight of internal dissent. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley revealed that Nationals Leader David Littleproud has rejected an urgent offer for peace talks, signaling a potentially irrevocable split.

The discord stems from a disagreement over climate resilience funding and regional disaster response protocols. "We cannot have a unified front on disaster management if we cannot even sit in the same room," Ley told reporters in a frosty press conference. Littleproud’s office fired back, stating that a meeting would only be scheduled once the National Party’s internal spill motion is determined—a move that suggests his own leadership is hanging by a thread.

Tennis Amidst the Smoke

In a surreal juxtaposition characteristic of the Australian summer, life in Melbourne presses on. The Australian Open women’s semi-finals are set to proceed today, with organizers monitoring air quality indices closely. Spectators have been advised to carry masks, as smoke from the Otways drift is expected to blanket the city skyline by mid-afternoon.

As the state braces for what could be its most dangerous day of the season, the message from authorities is blunt: Leave now. "If you wait to see the flames, it is already too late," the Emergency Management Commissioner stated. For the communities in the Otways, the waiting game is the hardest part of all.