#Australia declares state of disaster as bushfires rage

Australian authorities declared a #StateOfDisaster on Saturday after #bushfires destroyed houses and razed vast belts of #forest in the country's southeast.

Temperatures soared past 40C as a #HeatWave blanketed the state of #Victoria this week, with hot winds fanning some of the most dangerous fire weather since the "Black Summer" #bushfires of 2019-2020.

One of the most destructive bushfires ripped through almost 150,000 hectares (370,000 acres) near #Longwood, a region cloaked in native #forests.

State Premier Jacinta Allan on Saturday declared a state of disaster, giving fire crews emergency powers to force evacuations.

"It's all about one thing: protecting Victorian lives," she said.

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-australia-declares-state-disaster-bushfires.html