Australia: Thousands told to evacuate as heat wave increases bushfire threat

Authorities in Victoria state, which is experiencing its worst weather in four years, ordered hundreds of thousands of inhabitants to evacuate on Wednesday owing to an extreme heatwave that they claimed might spread a large blaze.

A huge portion of Victoria has been granted an extreme fire rating, with the Wimmera region in the west receiving the highest warning level. The Bureau of Meteorology reported that temperatures in Mildura, a little town of 56,000 people, might reach 45 degrees Celsius.

Authorities asked some 30,000 people living in various rural villages to evacuate by Wednesday morning, citing a probable fire effect zone.

“Today will be a very challenging day for firefighters,” Jason Heffernan, Chief Officer at Victoria fire department told the media.

“Today is one of those days when communities may need to take immediate action at very short notice.”

About 60 miles (95 km) west of Melbourne, close to the city of Ballarat, hundreds of firemen were still fighting a major conflagration. Since it started last Thursday, the fire has burned almost 20,000 hectares (200 square kilometers), destroyed six homes, and killed cattle.

On Thursday, a heat wave is predicted to move in from Australia’s outback interior, passing through Victoria and then probably going east to the state of New South Wales. Many cities have complete restrictions on fires, Melbourne included.

According to Heffernan, strong winds predicted for Wednesday afternoon might spread the current fire near Ballarat, while dry lightning could start new ones.

Heffernan 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 to sustain a long duration firefight … my strong advice to the community is to leave early,” he said.