Residents warned it's 'too late to leave' parts of Australia's Victoria state as fires rage
(CNN)Residents
of several towns in the picturesque southeastern Australian state of
Victoria are being warned to "take shelter indoors immediately," as
devastating wildfires continue to rage across the region.
Tens
of thousands of residents and people on vacation were urged to evacuate
Sunday, as authorities had forecast that several factors could make it
an incredibly dangerous day in terms of fire risk.
"The
extreme fire dangers, the strong winds that were forecast, and the very
hot temperatures have all come as we thought," Andrew Tupper of the
Victoria Bureau of Meteorology said at a news conference on Monday.
Several
emergency warnings have been put in place throughout Victoria, meaning
people in those areas are in "imminent danger," according to Victoria
Emergency. Victoria Emergency have issued several warnings on Twitter
telling people in a handful of villages in remote parts of the state "it
is too late to leave" and advising them to stay inside.
The Australia Bureau of Meteorology said
that fires in the region "exhibited very dangerous behavior overnight"
that are "likely to worsen today."
East
Gippsland is expected to be one of the areas most affected. Victoria
Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said a number of new
fires broke out there Monday, and conditions aren't expected to improve
until midnight local time.
"We have
been telling people for more than 24 hours East Gippsland is at
significant risk," Crisp said at a briefing Monday. "You should not be
on the roads."
Located in the far
eastern corner of Victoria, East Gippsland is home to about 80,000
people, who are scattered across remote villages and towns. The region
is popular with tourists, who go to see wildlife and hike in the
national parks.
A
fire in nearby Mallacoota also has authorities worried. Crisp said the
blaze began Sunday afternoon, and as winds changed direction it quickly
shifted directions and traveled some 24 kilometers (15 miles) in about
four hours, he said. The smoke columns from the fire rose some 14
kilometers (9 miles) high, and have begun generating their own weather
systems.
"There's lightning coming out of these columns," he said.
Australia has dealt with a series of fires this summer that authorities have described as historic, unprecedented and "catastrophic." The deadly blazes have largely been caused by record-breaking heat and dry conditions.
Monday
in Victoria was forecast to be particularly bad. The dry conditions,
high temperatures -- parts of the state could reach above 40 degrees
Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) -- strong winds and thunderstorms all
combine to greatly increase the risk of existing fires spreading or new
ones sparking, Victoria Emergency said.
Lightning started 16 blazes in the state on Sunday, CNN affiliate 7 News reported.
A change in wind direction is forecast on Monday night, which could bring a drop in temperatures, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology reported. However, more thunderstorms are also forecast, carrying the threat of "damaging" and "destructive" winds.
Fires
are also burning in the neighboring state of South Australia, where
some areas are experiencing "catastrophic fire danger," the highest
warning on the scale, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
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