Bushfires in Victoria destroy homes, force evacuations, and leave three missing

DW
DW
13h ago
Bushfires in Australia’s state of Victoria destroyed homes, forced evacuations, and left two adults and a child missing as fire danger reached a “catastrophic” level during an intense heat wave.
Bushfires in Victoria destroy homes, force evacuations, and leave three missing
A What happened
Bushfires in Victoria destroyed homes, forced evacuations, and burned through large areas of bushland, with firefighters battling around 30 active blazes. A major fire near Longwood burned more than 35,000 hectares and destroyed multiple homes and community buildings, and another blaze near Walwa spread across about 20,000 hectares. Victoria Police said two adults and a child were missing in the Longwood area after their home was destroyed by fire. Authorities forecast temperatures up to 46°C and warned that damaging winds could make conditions “undefendable” in some areas.
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Key insights

  • 1

    Authorities warned conditions could be fatal for people who do not evacuate: Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said that if people do not leave, it could result in their life being lost, and authorities said winds could make conditions “undefendable” in some areas.

  • 2

    Officials linked the heat wave to severe bushfire conditions: The heat wave across southern Australia was reported to have created the most dangerous bushfire conditions since the late-2019 to early-2020 “Black Summer” blazes.

Takeaways

Victoria faced “catastrophic” bushfire conditions with widespread evacuations, major fires near Longwood and Walwa, and three people reported missing in the Longwood area.

Topics

Climate & Environment Climate Change Law & Public Safety Public Safety Accidents & Fires

Read the full article on DW

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