UPDATE 4.45pm:
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Thursday's pine plantation fire in Mount Mercer-Dereel Road is now officially under control, after burning for more than five hours.
CFA crews are leaving the scene - and the staging area on Colac-Ballarat Road - but some local vehicles are expected to stay on to monitor the area until at least dusk.
![Fire under control after five hours Fire under control after five hours](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/177877894/1475d2d3-b521-4421-9206-01db8df8037f.JPG/r0_3_2052_1158_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The CFA said DEECA personnel had arrived to work with them and (private) forest industry brigades including the HVP Ballarat Plantations and Midway Otways groups.
A water-bombing helicopter has now returned to the Goulburn Valley.
The fire was reported at 10.53am, the chopper left Mangalore just before midday and arrived at Enfield almost an hour later.
The Bell 212 was called in outside the regular fire season for government-contracted private aircraft.
![The water-bombing aircraft from Mangalore put in the hard yards over the Mount Mercer-Dereel Road plantation fire. Flight path image from FlightAware. The water-bombing aircraft from Mangalore put in the hard yards over the Mount Mercer-Dereel Road plantation fire. Flight path image from FlightAware.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/177877894/8539f4ec-f2af-4e21-af7b-679c501eb18e.JPG/r15_22_844_831_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Western Victorian Upper House MP Joe McCracken said more resources should have been available - and closer to the Ballarat area.
"We have a big problem when the CFA is calling for support and the closest operational unit is 200km away in Mangalore," he said.
"How can we have confidence leading into the fire season when it takes an hour to respond?
"Minutes in response times can be the difference between loss of life and property.
"The Government should be doing everything it can to ensure the resources are available locally to put out a fire before it becomes a catastrophic event."
The Minister for Emergency Services has been contacted for comment.
![The fire ignited in Mount Mercer-Dereel Road, about 3km from Colac-Ballarat Road. Picture Google Maps. The fire ignited in Mount Mercer-Dereel Road, about 3km from Colac-Ballarat Road. Picture Google Maps.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/177877894/6c0791d3-7ed8-438c-917d-ed37f460b643.JPG/r0_86_970_634_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A huge contingent of volunteers worked on the blaze including brigades members from Rokewood Junction, Dereel, Werneth, Cressy, Buninyong-Mt Helen, Hardies Hill, Meredith, Smythesdale, Cape Clear, Ballarat City, Napoleons-Enfield, Teesdale, Elaine, Lethbridge, Shelford, Mount Mercer, Mannibadar, Rokewood, Sebastopol and Linton.
Golden Plains Mayor Brett Cunningham said he wanted to acknowledge the great work of local firefighters.
"They are really valued by our communities," he said.
"I also want to take this opportunity to ask the shire's residents to ensure that their properties are cleared and prepared for the upcoming Summer season."
UPDATE 2.30pm:
A pine plantation fire is still burning out of control, south of Ballarat, on the Mount Mercer-Dereel Road.
The alarm was raised at 10.53am - and firefighters said it was now at least 1km long and 200m wide - and has been spreading along the roadside.
![File image. File image.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/177877894/d4b728c1-05ad-4a37-b91b-e320049a6453.JPG/r0_69_1829_1162_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Emergency Management Victoria said the blaze was travelling south towards Rokewood-Shelford Road.
Heavy bulldozers have been called in and police are directing traffic around the area.
"It'll be going for quite a while," a CFA spokesperson said.
The Department of Transport said speeds on the council-managed road would be reduced at the request of police.
Ballarat's overnight temperatures dropped to minus-2 at 5am when winds were generally east-by-northeast. Around 10am they picked up and swung around to become north-westerly.
A staging area has been set up for the 20 local CFA fire tankers at the scene. They have been backed up by command-vehicles and other support units.
The CFA said only one water-bombing helicopter was available.
The Bell 212 with a maximum water capacity of 1400 litres was called in from Mangalore, 200km away - and took an hour to reach the scene, arriving around 12.45pm.
The fire danger season is yet to start in Ballarat and Golden Plains, but will kick off in parts of Gippsland from Monday-week (October 9).
Smoke and haze from the fire has been visible as far away as Mount Wallace.
EARLIER:
A significant bushfire is burning out of control on the Mount Mercer-Dereel Road - with at least 27 CFA vehicles called to the burning plantation.
The CFA said air support had also been called in from Mangalore, about 200km away, and would take some time to arrive.
The fire is believed to be burning in "several" pine plantations - and at 11.30am was burning about 3km east of the Colac-Ballarat Road.
![Buninyong fire vehicle file image. Picture by CFA. Buninyong fire vehicle file image. Picture by CFA.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/177877894/49566035-fc1b-4c5d-836c-948ff2287ad0.JPG/r0_8_872_498_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Fire Rescue Victoria crews from Ballarat have also been asked to attend.
The community advice warning states that the fire is travelling south from Enfield, towards Ferrers Road.
Locals are being asked to monitor weather conditions and review their survival plans.
Smoke is visible from nearby communities.
A large wind farm is located further down the Mount Mercer-Dereel Road.
MORE TO COME...
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