WATCH as a ferocious fire tornado rips through Victoria as it scorches the landscape and burns everything in its path.
Three people remain unaccounted for as wildfires plunge communities into crisis, leaving more than 70,000 homes and businesses without power.
Dramatic footage shows red and orange flames, while columns of smoke fill the sky.
Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch confirmed firefighters are confronting as many as 30 active blazes statewide.
By Friday, conditions had reached breaking point.
The state’s fire danger rating surged to “catastrophic”, prompting the Country Fire Authority (CFA) to declare a statewide ban on all personal fires.
Authorities warned that extreme winds combined with temperatures soaring to 46 degrees Celsius would render any fires “undefendable”.
Victoria’s Premier, Jacinta Allan, said: “Today represents one of the most dangerous fire days that this state has experienced in years.”
One of the most destructive fires tore through bushland near the town of Longwood, burning more than 86,000 acres as flames advanced with terrifying speed.
Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Bob Gill said two adults and one child were unaccounted for in Longwood after firefighters advised them to shelter at home, as it was too dangerous to flee.
“They alerted those people that the risks are great, the risks are so high that they needed to take shelter, that it was too late for them to leave,” Gill said.
“Later that afternoon, those same fire service representatives reattended the area to see the house they saw those three people standing in front of had been completely destroyed.
“Those three people remain unaccounted for. Those three people, we do not know at this point of time where they may be.
“That particular area in Longwood East where that house has been destroyed is still a hot spot, and we’re yet to be able to put the strike teams from the fire service into that to conduct an assessment for us.”
The fires have also destroyed significant community and residential infrastructure, including family homes, a community centre and a telephone exchange.
A separate blaze near Walwa swelled rapidly to around 49,000 acres, tearing through a pine plantation.
While no property damage has yet been reported there, authorities warn the situation remains volatile.
Dozens of nearby communities have been forced to evacuate, while large areas of Victoria’s parks and campgrounds have been closed as the emergency unfolds.
Fire authorities say the twin disasters were driven by a severe heatwave, producing the worst fire conditions seen in the state since 2019.
Meteorologist Sarah Sculley said heatwave conditions, increased fuel loads, dry lightning and sudden wind changes were all combining to create extreme and unpredictable fire behaviour.
In 2019, bushfires devastated large parts of southeastern Australia, killing 33 people in the disaster known as Black Summer.
In the wake of today’s fires, federal and state governments have announced snap emergency relief to support affected residents.
The assistance includes a one-off payment of $680 per adult and $340 per child to help cover the cost of essential items.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15757412/fire-tornado-destruction-australia-wildfires/
