One person has died and 300 homes and buildings have been destroyed in bushfires that have torn across south-east Australia. The fires have raged in dozens of locations across the country for several days, mostly in the state of Victoria, but also in New South Wales, burning through land almost twice the size of Greater London.
A state of emergency has been declared in Victoria as thousands of firefighters and more than 70 aircraft battled the blaze. Residents in more than a dozen communities have been advised to leave their homes.
The authorities fear the blazes, which are being fuelled by very hot, dry and windy conditions, could burn for several weeks.
Victoria's Premier, Jacinta Allan, said 30 active fires were burning across the state, ten of which were a particular concern. She stated that 350,000 hectares had been burnt across the state as of 08:00 local time on Sunday.
We will see fires continue for some time across the state and that is why we are not through the worst of this by a long way, she told Australian media. Human remains were found in the village of Gobur, near the town of Longwood, with police confirming that the victim has not yet been identified.
Allan praised the emergency workers who worked to retrieve the body, highlighting the emotional toll such work takes.
In Harcourt, a firefighter named Tyrone Rice lamented the loss of his own home while battling the blazes. This tragedy has left the local communities grappling with the destruction, as the air quality worsens due to the smoke.
The current fires are being described as the most severe since the catastrophic 2019-2020 bushfires.
