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The Australian state of Victoria faced its most dangerous bushfires in years on Friday, with dozens of active blazes fuelled by extreme heat and strong winds burning across the southern state.
Firefighters were battling around 30 active blazes, with the state under a “catastrophic” fire danger rating, the highest possible level, Victoria’s emergency management commissioner Tim Wiebusch told a news briefing.
Authorities said the forecast of damaging winds and temperatures up to 46C meant fires already burning, or newly ignited, would be “undefendable” in some areas.
Victoria’s premier, Jacinta Allan, said Friday represented “one of the most dangerous fire days that this state has experienced in years”, urging people to take warnings seriously and act early.
Temperatures climbed into the mid to high 40s in the state, sharply increasing the fire danger. The highest temperature recorded was 46.3C at Hopetoun airport in the Mallee, while Melbourne airport reached 43.4C, Avalon hit 44.1C, and Horsham recorded 43.7C. The heat rapidly dried vegetation across much of the state, worsening conditions around existing fires.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese spoke with officials in Canberra on Friday morning, urging residents to “prepare for the worst” amid the heatwave.
“These are difficult times and we are confronting some extreme weather conditions in different parts of Australia,” he said.
“We hope for the best, but we prepare for the worst.”
By Friday, one of the largest fires, near Longwood in central Victoria, had burned through more than 35,000 hectares of bushland, according to emergency authorities.
The fire has destroyed community and residential property, including multiple homes, a community centre and a telephone exchange, though officials said it was still too dangerous to fully assess the damage.
Another major blaze near Walwa, close to the New South Wales border, has grown to around 20,000 hectares. That fire, burning in and around Mount Lawson State Park, has cut through a pine plantation but had not yet caused confirmed property losses by Friday afternoon.
Both fires ignited earlier in the week as an intense heatwave settled over southeastern Australia, producing the most dangerous fire conditions seen since the 2019/20 Black Summer.
The scale of the emergency has prompted widespread evacuations. Dozens of communities near active fire fronts have been moved out, while many parks and campgrounds across Victoria have been closed as authorities work to keep people away from high-risk areas.
By Friday evening, three people – a man, a woman and a child – remained unaccounted for in the Longwood area, after firefighters told them it was too late to leave and advised them to shelter in place on Thursday.
Victoria Police said the house where the three people were last seen was later found completely destroyed. By Friday afternoon, authorities said there was no update on their whereabouts.
“There’s no further information at this stage from Victoria Police and I absolutely understand the people being very keen to know what the situation is for those three people who at this stage remain unaccounted for,” Ms Allan told ABC Radio.
Residents affected by the Longwood bushfire have described the scale of destruction as unprecedented, as homes and land were lost in the fast-moving blaze.
Speaking to the Herald Sun, local resident Craig O’Donnell, 41, said the fire was unlike anything he had experienced before.
“I’ve never seen anything like it, it’s horrendous,” he said, adding that while buildings can be rebuilt, the loss of animals had been hardest to witness. “The loss of animal life is the most heartbreaking thing.”
Another resident, Tim Brown, 68, told the newspaper that he and his wife learned their home had been destroyed while they were away on holiday.
“You just hope there’s no loss of life – you can always rebuild a house, but you can’t rebuild a lost life,” he said.
Emergency warnings were escalated through the afternoon, with residents in several towns – including Kinglake, Kinglake Central, Kinglake West, Marysville, Toolangi, Buxton and Flowerdale – told to leave immediately ahead of a forecast wind change expected around 8pm.
Fire authorities warned the shift in wind direction could cause fires to change direction suddenly, making conditions more dangerous and unpredictable.
The fires and extreme weather have also disrupted critical infrastructure. Power outages rose to more than 90,000 homes and businesses, as damaging winds, falling trees and fire activity affected electricity networks across large parts of the state. Power companies warned restoration efforts could be slow in some areas due to dangerous conditions.
The state government announced immediate financial assistance for people affected by the fires, with $680 available for adults and $340 for children, capped at $2,380 per eligible family, alongside access to meals and counselling services. Ms Allan said the support could be extended if further damage occurred.
While cooler weather is forecast to bring some relief over the weekend, fire authorities warned the transition itself can be dangerous, particularly if strong winds persist.
As evening fell, emergency services remained on high alert, warning that conditions could change quickly and urging residents to stay informed and follow official advice.
