General

Australian officials announced on Sunday, January 11, that it could take weeks for firefighters to control the bushfires raging in the southeastern part of the country. These fires have destroyed homes, disrupted power for thousands, and scorched large areas of bushland. Since the middle of the week, more than 300,000 hectares of bushland in Victoria state have been affected, with over 130 properties, including homes, lost and many residents left without electricity. On Sunday morning, Premier Jacinta Allan reported that more than 30 fires were active in Victoria. In New South Wales, several fires near the Victorian border were at an emergency level, indicating the highest threat, according to the state's Rural Fire Service. Officials stated that these fires are the worst to impact the southeast since the Black Summer fires of 2019-2020, which destroyed an area comparable to Türkiye and resulted in 33 fatalities. Chris Hardman, the Chief Fire Officer of Forest Fire Management Victoria, mentioned that it would probably take weeks for firefighters to gain control over the situation. He told Australian Broadcasting Corporation television that “these fires will not be contained before it gets hot, dry, and windy again.” Premier Allan shared on the social media platform X that a total fire ban was enforced in Victoria, as thousands of firefighters and over 70 aircraft worked to combat the fires. She also noted that bushfire smoke was affecting air quality in many regions across Victoria, including metropolitan Melbourne. One of the largest fires, located near Longwood, about 112 kilometers north of Melbourne, has burned 130,000 hectares of bushland, devastating 30 structures, vineyards, and farmland.