Firefighters scramble to control blaze in rural Australia

Firefighters were scrambling on Jan 28 to control a blaze tearing through rural south-eastern Australia, as stranded local residents were warned it was "too late to leave" if they had not already fled.

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SYDNEY - Firefighters were scrambling on Jan 28 to control a blaze tearing through rural south-eastern Australia, as stranded local residents were warned it was "too late to leave" if they had not already fled.

The bush fire in a western area of Victoria state has burned through 65,000ha, an area almost the size of Singapore, and was moving towards the small farming town of Dimboola, about 330km north-west of Melbourne.