Three individuals were reported missing as uncontrollable bushfires swept through the state of Victoria, Australia, causing destruction to homes and vast areas of bushland, authorities revealed on Friday. Victoria’s north was predicted to experience damaging winds and temperatures reaching up to 46 degrees Celsius.
Victoria Premier Jacinda Allen described the situation as one of the most perilous fire days the state has faced in years. A fire near Longwood has engulfed over 35,000 hectares of bushland, while another blaze near Walwa has expanded to approximately 20,000 hectares since igniting on Wednesday during a severe summer heatwave in Australia’s southern region.
Meteorologists have drawn parallels to the conditions in 2019, known as the Black Summer, when bushfires ravaged southeastern Australia, claiming 33 lives. An analysis by Climate Central indicates that human-induced climate change has amplified the heat, making it two to five times more probable in various Australian regions.
With a “catastrophic” fire danger rating set for Friday, authorities cautioned that the fires in Longwood and Walwa pose significant threats to life and property. The Walwa fire has generated its own weather system, prompting a pyrocumulonimbus cloud that has triggered lightning and thunderstorms in the area.
Residents in numerous neighboring towns have been advised to evacuate, while 450 schools in Victoria were closed, and several regional train services were halted. A state-wide total fire ban was enforced on Friday. Meanwhile, in New Zealand, the national weather service, MetService, has issued heat alerts for parts of the country’s eastern coast and the north of the South Island, anticipating record warm temperatures over the weekend as the heatwave crosses the Tasman Sea.