Wind and 46C heat fuel ‘catastrophic’ bushfires

Firefighters battle 30 blazes in Australia's Victoria state

- STUTI MISHRA

The Australian state of Victoria is facing its most dangerous bushfires in years, with dozens of active blazes fuelled by extreme heat and strong winds burning across the southern state.

Firefighters were battling around 30 active blazes, with the state under a “catastrophic” fire danger rating, the highest possible level, Victoria’s emergency management commissioner Tim Wiebusch told a news briefing.

Authorities said the forecast of damaging winds and temperatures up to 46C meant fires already burning or newly ignited would be “undefendable” in some areas.

Victoria’s premier, Jacinta Allan, said it was “one of the most dangerous fire days that this state has experienced in years”, urging people to take warnings seriously and act early.

Temperatures climbed into the mid-to-high 40s in the state, sharply increasing the fire danger. The highest temperature recorded was 46.3C at Hopetoun airport in the Mallee, while Melbourne airport reached 43.4C, Avalon hit 44.1C, and Horsham recorded 43.7C. The heat rapidly dried vegetation across much of the state, worsening conditions around existing fires.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese spoke with officials in Canberra yesterday morning, urging residents to “prepare for the worst” amid the heatwave.

"These are difficult times and we are confronting some extreme weather conditions in different parts of Australia," he said. "We hope for the best, but we prepare for the worst.”