News

Smelly, smoky end to day at Tongala

By Jemma Jones

Jan 6, 2026

An afternoon fire in Tongala caused quite a stink for emergency services personnel who attended on Monday, January 5. Photo by Kyabram Free Press

An afternoon fire in Tongala caused quite a stink for fire crews and afternoon commuters on Monday, January 5.

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

CFA units were called to Henderson Rd, between Murray Valley Hwy and Griffin Rd, at about 4.52pm, and arrived to find a hay fire that had spread to some grass.

The eight units on the scene quickly battled the fire; however, the flames caught on to some compost piles, creating a large amount of smoke and emitting an unpleasant smell.

A community information notice was issued via the VicEmergency app, advising those driving home from work to avoid the area while crews worked to control the grass fire.

While there was no immediate threat to the community, the alert advised residents in nearby communities that smoke would be visible in the area “for some time”.

Victoria Police officers were also on the scene, redirecting afternoon traffic away from the scene.

The incident was declared safe at 6.39pm and crews stayed at Henderson Rd to monitor the scene.

As of publishing, the community information notice was still in place for the area on the VicEmergency app.