Significant Bushfire in Australia Anticipated to Persist for Weeks
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Sydney, Dec 22 (NationPress) Residents who have evacuated several towns in the southeast of Australia due to a significant bushfire have been informed they might be away from their homes for several weeks as the fire continues to escalate.
Thousands of individuals in six towns located in and around the Grampians National Park, roughly 230 kilometres west of Melbourne in the state of Victoria, were ordered to evacuate on Friday and Saturday as the bushfire in the park posed a threat to homes and lives, according to reports from Xinhua news agency.
The fire, ignited by lightning on Monday, tripled in size between Friday and Saturday due to soaring temperatures and strong winds.
By Sunday morning, it had scorched over 34,000 hectares of land. More than 300 firefighters and water-bombing aircraft were engaged in efforts to control its spread.
During meetings on Saturday, residents were informed that authorities anticipate the fire will continue to burn for weeks.
Garry Cook, deputy chief officer of the Country Fire Authority, mentioned that favorable conditions on Saturday night had allowed firefighters to expand control lines along the fire's northern edge.
However, he warned that strong winds predicted for Sunday would once again challenge containment efforts.
"It's a big fire, there's a lot of unburnt fuel in the Grampians still, so it's quite a challenge for the days ahead," he conveyed to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius are expected across Victoria from Christmas Day next Wednesday through to next Friday, creating a significant fire hazard.
In its seasonal bushfire outlook released in November, the National Council for Fire and Emergency Services identified Victoria's southwest, including the Grampians National Park, as a region facing an elevated summer bushfire risk.
It highlighted that the dry winter and spring period across southern Australia had primed the landscape for bushfires.
Cook stated on Sunday that the area was extremely dry, and communities would likely have to confront the fire threat for the remainder of the summer.
