Australia's bushfires: 'extreme' risk in south-east

As “Emergency Management Victoria” writes on the online platform X (formerly Twitter), authorities expect a “severe” fire risk.

The Wimmera region west of Melbourne and five other parts of Victoria state are experiencing severe drought. Temperatures above 40 degrees are expected at times.

Tens of thousands of residents should at least be safe by Wednesday morning (local time), if possible. “After 12 noon the weather gets really bad so I leave after lunchtime,” said local fire chief Jason Heffernan.

“This is one of the most dangerous days Victoria has experienced in recent years,” Victorian Premier Jacinda Allen said. As a precaution, nearly 100 schools and kindergartens will be closed on Wednesday.

As a precaution, three national parks were closed to visitors, including Grameens National Park, famous for its beautiful landscape and rugged mountains. More than 60 firefighting aircraft were on standby.

Broadcaster 9 News reported that the region was threatened by the worst fires since the devastating “black summer” of 2019/2020. During that time, weeks of wildfires destroyed twelve million hectares of land, and countless animals were injured, killed, or driven from their habitats.

Meanwhile, wildfires raged out of control in the western region on Tuesday as well. Residents of Australind, a small town south of Perth, were urged to seek safety. The situation is life-threatening, “The West Australian” newspaper quoted emergency services as saying. About 20,000 people live in the affected area. Firefighters battled the blaze on the ground and in the air.