Statement from City of Whittlesea Mayor Lawrie Cox

Published on 13 January 2026

Over recent days, we have seen a very serious fire situation unfolding just to the north of the City of Whittlesea.

The Longwood fire has destroyed a significant amount of landscape, structures and sadly taken at least one life.

At the City of Whittlesea our thoughts are with those impacted; those who have lost their homes and their livelihoods.

The fires have left our neighbouring councils of Murrindindi and Mitchell in need of support as they begin the very long process; firstly to make the area safe and then start the long road to recovery.

At the City of Whittlesea we are all too familiar with the impacts of fire, with the experiences of February 2009 still all too fresh in the minds of many in our community.

Over the past few days, we have supported our neighbours and will continue to do so as needed.

On Friday night we were asked to set up an Emergency Relief Centre (ERC) for those needing somewhere safe to go. With the dynamic fire situation, we firstly advised to set up at South Morang to ensure people would be remain safe and then on Saturday the centre moved to the Whittlesea Community Activity Centre. At this stage we have been advised by emergency authorities that the centre will remain open until 6pm, Thursday 15 January.

The ERC provides support and relief services for people in affected areas, who may have been displaced or who need access to a range of emergency relief services. These can include: 

• The Red Cross, who can help people register so their family and friends know that they are safe
• Staff from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing who can help with applications for hardship and emergency relief payments 
• Staff who can help organise temporary accommodation
• St. John Ambulance for advice and basic medical needs and first aid
• Victoria Police 
• Counselling services. 

The ERC also provides food and drink, along with basic essentials as well as refuge, comfort and information when they need it most – this may be for hundreds of people, or it may be for a handful of people. Regardless of how many people are at the ERC, we remain available to support them.  

As well as people from these community agencies, more than 100 City of Whittlesea staff have been supporting the 24-hour relief centre, emergency operations and other related duties. In more recent days we have had reinforcements from other Councils who are part of the North West region.

In coming weeks, once the danger has passed, we expect to support Murrindindi Council further with arborists, engineers and building surveyors amongst other roles.

Our community has asked how they can get involved in and we would encourage people to consider donating to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal launched today by the state government. Visit the 2026 Victorian Bushfire Appeal on the Victorian Government website for more information.

We understand the importance of community and that extends beyond municipal borders. We will continue to be in close contact with our neighbours to provide our support through the weeks and months ahead.