File photo. Photo: Saeed Khan / AFP
A massive out-of-control bushfire in Australia's Victoria state that has destroyed properties and killed livestock prompted fresh evacuation alerts on Saturday for several rural towns.
Emergency authorities early Saturday issued new warnings for the blaze, which on Thursday prompted more than 2000 people to leave towns in the state's west and head to the nearby regional hub of Ballarat, 95km west of state capital Melbourne.
"Leaving immediately is the safest option, before conditions become too dangerous," Vic Emergency said on its website, regarding the fire that has burnt through more than 11,000 hectares.
The highest danger was for small rural communities of Bayindeen, Chute, Elmhurst and Mount Lonarch, the agency said.
This Watch and Act - Not Safe to Return is being issued for Amphitheatre, Glenlofty, Nowhere Creek and surrounding areas.
— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) February 24, 2024
If you left the warning area, it is Not Safe to Return. Be aware of potential dangerous bushfire and tree hazards.
More details at https://t.co/bToz45kl5r pic.twitter.com/KMvvn9Ddxo
Jason Heffernan, chief officer of Victoria state fire department, said on Friday that early reports indicated losses of sheds and livestock in the blaze, with one home confirmed destroyed.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported today that three homes and several outbuildings had been destroyed.
Around 1000 firefighters supported by more than 50 aircraft have battled the fire since it broke out earlier this week.
Australia is currently in the grips of an El Nino weather pattern, which is typically associated with extreme phenomena such as wildfires, cyclones and droughts.
The last two bushfire seasons in Australia have been subdued compared with the 2019-2020 'Black Summer' when bushfires destroyed an area the size of Turkey, killed 33 people, 3 billion animals and trillions of invertebrates.
- This story was first published by Reuters.
