Khaberni - Australia declared a state of disaster on Saturday in the southeast of the country due to fires that consumed homes and vast areas of forests in rural areas.
Victoria state (capital Melbourne) experienced a severe heatwave, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, and hot winds contributed to favorable conditions for the outbreak of forest fires as happened during the "Black Summer" at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 in the same region.
One of the most severe forest fires destroyed about 150,000 hectares near the town of Longwood, an area covered by native forests.
The state of disaster declared by Victoria's Premier Jacinta Allan on Saturday grants firefighters the authority to carry out emergency evacuations.
Allen pointed out that the goal is "to protect the lives of Victoria's residents." She added, "This sends a clear message: if you are asked to leave, leave!"
Allen announced the discovery of 3 people, including a child, who had been missing due to one of the state's fiercest fires.
Victoria's Director of Emergency Management Tim Weibush said that at least 130 facilities including homes, cabins, and other buildings were destroyed in the state.
He reported that 10 major fires are still burning, many of which may continue "for days, or even weeks."
The worst fires so far have been confined to sparsely populated rural areas, with a population not exceeding a few hundred.
Hundreds of firefighters from across the country have been mobilized to fight the fires.
Researchers have reported that climate warming in Australia has increased by an average of 1.51 degrees Celsius since 1910, fueling the increasingly frequent extreme weather patterns on land and at sea.
