Daily London
People have been warned it’s now too late to leave as the Carlisle River bushfire in Victoria’s Otways region continues to expand.
In new emergency warnings issued early this morning, residents still at Gellibrand, Barongarook, Barongarook West, Kawarren, Carlisle River, and Gerangamete, have been told leaving their homes would now be deadly.
The out-of-control bushfire, which authorities said doubled in size yesterday, is threatening “homes and lives”, VicEmergency said.
Residents in more than 20 other communities in the same region were also told this morning to evacuate immediately as the fire continues to spread.
Heatwave temperatures are set to drop in Victoria’s south today, to near or even slightly below the average.
Melbourne’s maximum temperature will experience a 20-degree drop, from about 45 degrees yesterday to 24 degrees today.
But the state’s northern regions will continue to swelter, with temperatures in the high 30s or low 40s through to Saturday, prompting warnings from health officials.
Fires also burn in the state’s north, including around Walwa, but no evacuation warnings are in place.
Nor are temperatures in the north expected to match the records set yesterday, when Walpepup in the north-west Mallee region hit 48.9 degrees, the hottest day on record in Victoria.
However, even with cooler weather in the south, firefighters continue to face an immense challenge, especially after a wind change overnight sending flames north-east – prompting the “take shelter” warning this morning.
The Otways fire has so far burnt through more than 10,000 hectares and at least three homes are believed to have been lost.
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