SYDNEY, Feb 28 — Tens of thousands of residents in Australia’s southeast were told to evacuate today due to an intense heatwave which authorities said could further spread a massive bushfire in Victoria state, which faces its worst conditions in four years.
Extreme fire ratings have been issued for large parts of Victoria, with the Wimmera region in the west given a catastrophic ranking, the top warning level. Mildura, a rural city of about 56,000, could touch 45° Celsius (113° Fahrenheit), the Bureau of Meteorology said.
A potential fire impact zone covering several rural towns has been identified as officials urged around 30,000 residents there to leave their homes by today morning.
“Today will be a very challenging day for firefighters. Today is one of those days when communities may need to take immediate action at very short notice,” Victoria Fire Department chief officer Jason Heffernan told ABC Television.
Hundreds of firefighters were still battling a massive blaze near the city of Ballarat, 95km west of Melbourne. The fire, burning since last Thursday (February 22), has already destroyed six homes, killed livestock, and burnt over 20,000 hectares.
A heat wave is set to sweep in from Australia’s outback interior, moving across Victoria before likely shifting east to the state of New South Wales tomorrow. Total fire bans are in place across several cities, including Melbourne.
Dry lightning could spark new fires while strong winds forecast from today afternoon could spread the existing one near Ballarat, Heffernan said.
He urged people to reconsider any decision to stay back to protect their homes.
“Unless your property is immaculately prepared and you have firefighting resources available and you are fit and you are mentally capable of sustaining a long duration firefight … my strong advice to the community is to leave early,” Heffernan said.
— Reuters
