Bushfires threatened dozens of rural towns in southeast Australia on Friday, firefighters said as hot winds fanned “hectic” conditions in the tinder-dry countryside. Temperatures are forecast to soar past 40C as a heatwave blankets the region, creating some of the most dangerous bushfire weather since the “Black Summer” blazes of 2019-2020. Dozens of rural hamlets in the state of Victoria were urged to evacuate while they still could.
“If you don’t leave now, it could result in your life being lost,” Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch told reporters. Powerful wind gusts of over 100 kilometres (60 miles) per hour would temporarily ground firefighting aircraft trying to contain some 30 different blazes, Wiebusch said. Country Fire Authority boss Jason Heffernan said the fire danger was “catastrophic” — the most severe rating possible.
“Victorians should brace themselves for more property loss or worse. Today is going to be quite a hectic and volatile day for firefighters, fire authorities and communities. Police said three people including a child were missing inside one of the state’s worst fire grounds. One of the most destructive bushfires has already razed some 28,000 hectares (70,000 acres) near the town of Longwood, about 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Victoria’s capital Melbourne.
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