Australia fires destroy 300,000 hectares of forest

The Australian authorities reported that the fires, most of which broke out in the middle of the week, amid a severe heat wave in the southeast of the country, had destroyed more than 300,000 hectares of forest, noting that 10 large fires were still burning in the state of Victoria. They added that more than 130 buildings, including homes, had been destroyed, and that electricity was cut off from about 38,000 homes and businesses due to the fires. They explained that one of the largest fires, which occurred near the town of Longwood, about 112 miles away. Kilometers north of Melbourne, it burned 130,000 hectares of bushland, destroying 30 buildings, vineyards and agricultural land, noting that dozens of communities near the fires were evacuated, and a number of parks and camps in the state were closed. The authorities described the current fires as the worst to sweep Victoria since the “Black Summer Fires” that broke out between 2019 and 2020 and destroyed a large area of the state and claimed the lives of 33 people.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “The nation is facing extreme weather and a fire hazard, especially in the state of Victoria,” where a large part of the state has been declared a disaster area.

In turn, the Prime Minister of Victoria, Jacinta Allan, said that thousands of firefighters are working in the field to contain the fires.