The Waubra wind farm – located west of Ballarat – switched off on Thursday afternoon as local fire authorities ordered thousands of people to evacuate in the face of major bushfires that threatened buildings and some communities. Last week, the Stockyard Hill wind farm – the biggest in the state – wound down quickly after a local grass fire broke out in the areas. It happened around 90 minutes before fierce storms tore down six major transmission towers and then flattened large parts of the local network, leading to more than half a million people losing power.