Hundreds of Victorians were evacuated from their houses as bushfires ravaged the state amid a searing heatwave that emergency officials describe as the most serious fire conditions in almost 20 years. Twelve fires are burning across Victoria and authorities have issued an urgent warning, telling residents to take the warnings seriously and put their safety first.
The longest burning of those fires has been in the region known as the Otways, to the state’s southwest. The fire first broke through containment lines on Saturday afternoon and has been moving, unchecked, toward the town of Gellibrand. Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch issued a blunt warning about the conditions to come, saying the state has not seen such extreme or prolonged heatwave conditions since 2009.
Extreme Heat Driving the Crisis
The dangerous fire conditions are being driven by a severe heatwave lashing Victoria as well as other parts of southeast Australia. Melbourne on Friday reached 38 degrees, and some parts of the state’s north have hit more than 46 degrees. The outlook for the days ahead is even worse, with Melbourne forecast to reach 44 degrees on Tuesday and some northern areas expected to nudge a record 48 degrees.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jonathan How described the heatwave conditions, and said relief would be gradual and patchy across the state. Some relief could be on the way for parts of the coast by Tuesday, but inland a sweltering five- to seven-day stint above 40 degrees will be tough. Some areas could push close to 50 degrees, conditions that are not just uncomfortable but plain dangerous when it comes to fighting fires and saving lives.
Communities Under Threat
Already, the mounting fire peril has caused major disruptions and evacuations. Hundreds of nearby residents have sought refuge in relief centres, and there are reports that at least one home has been destroyed by the blaze. Emergency warnings have been declared in multiple parts of the state, with some areas issued the most severe “leave now” warning, including near Walwa, in the state’s north-eastern corner where fires burn.
The human wreckage of the crisis extends beyond those directly menaced by flames. Emergency crews attended 11 factorial incidents of kids locked in hot cars across Melbourne and regional Victoria over the weekend, as urgent warnings were issued about vehicle safety. Paramedics had earlier warned that the temperature inside a car can soar to double the outside temperature within minutes, making it life-threatening, particularly for children who get hot much quicker than adults.
A Nationwide Weather Emergency
Victoria’s fire crisis is one of several instances of extreme weather across Australia during the long weekend. Adelaide is forecast to hit 45 degrees, while a few inland areas of South Australia may peak at 48 degrees. Adelaide’s annual Australia Day celebrations, including a popular lights display and fireworks which attract 25,000 people, were cancelled due to the extreme heat.
Back in Western Australia however, it’s a different picture with Tropical Cyclone Luana hitting the coast as a Category 2 system on the Dampier Peninsula north of Broome. The storm whipped up wind gusts of more than 106 kilometres an hour and dumped over 100 millimetres of rain in some places. Although now only a Category 1 cyclone, the system will bring heavy rainfall and destructive winds to people living along the Kimberley coast until at least the long weekend, when conditions are forecast to ease on Tuesday.
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