Southeast Australian towns ordered to evacuate amid bushfire threat

16/11/2024 16:16

        Residents of several towns in Australia's second-most populous state were ordered to evacuate due to nearby bushfires.
        
        Authorities in the southeastern state of Victoria on Saturday afternoon issued emergency "leave now" and "watch and act" warnings for several communities in the state's west and southwest as crews responded to out-of-control fires.
        
        The Bureau of Meteorology forecasted high, extreme or catastrophic fire danger for much of southern and eastern Australia on Saturday, with high temperatures exacerbated by strong winds.
        
        More than 20 fire trucks were deployed to fight a fire threatening the small Victorian town of Dereel, approximately 100 km west of Melbourne.
        
        Authorities declared a total fire ban in northwest Victoria on Saturday, and the entire state was advised to be on alert.