Melbourne, Jan 8 Residents in four regions in the southeast Australian state of Victoria have been told to evacuate their homes by Friday morning as authorities declared a catastrophic bushfire danger rating on Thursday.
The Country Fire Authority (CFA) on Thursday declared the highest-level catastrophic fire danger rating for Friday in four regions in central, north, northwest and southwest Victoria and an extreme fire danger rating for the rest of the state.
It marks the first time that catastrophic fire danger ratings have been declared for multiple regions in Victoria since November 2019, with forecast temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius expected to be exacerbated by strong winds and possible dry lightning across the state on Friday.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday morning, Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said that residents in the catastrophic fire danger areas should leave by 7 a.m. local time on Friday to ensure their safety.
Ben Carroll, Victoria's Acting Premier, urged people across the state to comply with emergency warnings.
"Catastrophic means catastrophic. Victoria is one of the most bushfire-prone areas in the world. We are talking tomorrow of uncontrollable, unpredictable bushfires with the real risk of loss, loss of life and property," he said.
Authorities on Thursday morning issued evacuation orders for people in towns near two separate fires burning out of control in central and northeast Victoria.
Wiebusch confirmed that two structures have been destroyed by a fire near the town of Longwood, 120 km north of Melbourne.
Alerts issued through the VicEmergency service on Thursday morning advised residents of Longwood and surrounding small towns to leave immediately and said that emergency services may not be able to help residents who decide to stay, Xinhua news agency reported.
A second uncontrolled fire in a state park near the town of Walwa, 320 km northeast of Melbourne on Victoria's border with New South Wales, has burned through over 3,000 hectares of land and continues to pose a threat to nearby towns, where residents have also been told to evacuate.
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