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Australia battles 'volatile' bushfire
The out-of-control blaze, about two hours' drive northwest of state capital Melbourne, has already burned through about 10,000 hectares (24,000 acres) of forest and farmland.
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In this photo released by the Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) and received by AFP on November 23, 2023, shows firefighters watching a bushfire burn north of the city of Perth. (AFP/Handout)
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ustralian firefighters were working to contain a "volatile" bushfire in the southern state of Victoria on Friday, urging thousands of people to evacuate rural areas threatened by the blaze.
The out-of-control blaze, about two hours' drive northwest of state capital Melbourne, has already burned through about 10,000 hectares (24,000 acres) of forest and farmland.
Almost 1,000 firefighters have been deployed to battle the blaze.
"They will be supported by water-bombing aircraft, including the large air tankers, so we are throwing everything we can at it," Country Fire Authority chief Jason Heffernan told national broadcaster ABC.
"I do expect the fire to remain rather dynamic and volatile," he added. "We're not out of the woods yet."
Emergency services have urged thousands of people from 28 rural communities in the path of the bushfire to leave their homes and head towards evacuation centres.
"In this dangerous and difficult time, all Australians are thinking of those working bravely to save lives and homes," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement released on social media.
"Our hearts are with everyone facing the fires."
On Friday, hundreds more residents in Victoria state were urged to evacuate their properties immediately after a bushfire that has destroyed several properties and killed livestock continued to threaten rural towns.
More than 2,000 people on Thursday fled from towns in Victoria's west after emergency evacuation orders were issued to leave while it was still safe and head east to the nearby regional hub of Ballarat, 95 km (59 miles) west of Melbourne.
Hundreds of firefighters are battling a massive blaze supported by several aircraft as fresh evacuation warnings covered 14 rural towns. Roughly 10,000 hectares (100 square kilometres) have been burnt, authorities said.
Stronger-than-expected winds are spreading fires faster and closer to towns as emergency crews urged residents to take shelter indoors if unable to leave.
"I do expect that fire conditions will remain reasonably volatile today," Jason Heffernan, chief officer of Victoria state fire department, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
"We're getting early reports, unfortunately, of some home losses and as well as multiple sheds ... we do expect to see significant shed loss, stock loss and fencing," Heffernan said.
Emergency crews said they would begin taking stock of damages from Friday morning.
A cold front off Australia's south coast would move to the regions in the east battling bushfires, pushing temperatures down on Friday, according to a weather bureau forecast, likely bringing some relief.
After several wet years, Australia has been facing one of its most significant bushfire seasons since the catastrophic conditions of 2019-2020.
During that so-called "Black Summer", bushfires raged across the country's eastern seaboard, razing swathes of forest, killing millions of animals and blanketing cities in noxious smoke.
