One person has died in the out-of-control fire burning through Victoria. Police have found human remains near a car in Gobur. The discovery has rattled the nearby community which is already battling from one of the worst fires in years.
By Sunday evening, more than 350,000 hectares of land had burned across the state, an area almost double the size of Greater London. The danger is not over, with dozens of fires still burning and homes in jeopardy, Premier Jacinta Allan warned. Thousands of firefighters and more than 70 aircraft are fighting the flames to protect rural towns and farms.
Towns destroyed and families displaced
The fires have destroyed on a vast scale, officials informed that over 300 buildings have been confirmed lost already, which includes at least 80 homes. One of the hardest-hit areas has been the town of Harcourt in central Victoria. The extent of the damage has been “gut-wrenching,” said fire captain Andrew Wilson, whose crews drove through some neighbourhoods and spent the night in others to reopen the city to residents who had evacuated and to recover bodies from houses.
Disaster conditions and ongoing threat
A State of Disaster has been declared in 18 local government areas because of hazardous heatwaves. In the north-east, the Walwa fire has spread across more than 94,000 hectares, and the Longwood blaze has scorched more than 144,000 hectares. Fire crews say conditions are “almost not possible,” with temperatures above 40°C and strong, unpredictable winds fuelling the flames.
Heavy smoke has settled over Melbourne and other nearby cities, triggering hazardous levels of air quality and health warnings. People have been advised to remain indoors and not open windows. The disaster is so extensive that the smoke from the Victorian bushfires has reached all the way to Antarctica.
Farmers face heartbreak over livestock
Losses in farming areas are catastrophic. The Victorian Farmers Federation estimates thousands of animals have been killed or are expected to be put down due to injuries. Farmers in Ruffy and Natimuk claim they have lost whole herds within moments, and described the scenes as “heartbreaking.”
The country was simultaneously dealing with fires in Perth and New South Wales that have also kept emergency crews busy, with the nation bracing for a long tough summer. For the moment, however, attention is fixed on Gobur’s mourning community and the hundreds of families that are starting to tackle the painful task of rebuilding their lives from nothing.
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