Three individuals were reported missing as uncontrollable wildfires swept through Victoria, Australia, causing destruction to homes and consuming extensive areas of bushland, officials announced on Friday. Predictions indicated damaging winds and temperatures reaching up to 46 degrees Celsius in the northern regions of Victoria.
Victoria Premier Jacinda Allen expressed concerns, labeling the situation as “one of the most perilous fire days the state has faced in years.” The fire near Longwood has scorched over 35,000 hectares of bushland, while another blaze near Walwa has extended to approximately 20,000 hectares since igniting on Wednesday amidst a severe summer heatwave in the southern part of Australia.
Meteorologists have drawn comparisons to the conditions in 2019 when bushfires ravaged southeastern Australia, claiming 33 lives during the catastrophic Black Summer. The heightened fire danger rating on Friday was classified as “catastrophic,” with both the Longwood and Walwa fires posing severe threats to life and property, as confirmed by authorities.
The Walwa fire has triggered its weather system, generating a pyrocumulonimbus cloud that led to lightning and thunder. Premier Allen noted that this phenomenon intensified the existing fire conditions, with the fires themselves sparking additional weather events, including lightning-induced fires in various locations across the state, exacerbated by strong winds expected to persist throughout the day.
Evacuation orders have been issued for residents in numerous neighboring towns, while approximately 450 schools in Victoria remained shut on Friday, and multiple regional train services were canceled. A statewide total fire ban was enforced on Friday to mitigate the escalating fire risk.
Meanwhile, in New Zealand, the national weather service, MetService, cautioned about record-high temperatures over the weekend as the heatwave traverses the Tasman Sea, prompting heat alerts for sections of the eastern coast of New Zealand and the northern part of the South Island.