Out-of-control Australia bushfire will burn for days, officials say
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The order to leave immediately, set at the highest danger rating, remains in place for the fire in and around Australia’s Grampians National Park.
PHOTO: VISIT GRAMPIANS/FACEBOOK
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SYDNEY – An uncontained bushfire raging in Australia’s Victoria state that has prompted an evacuation order for hundreds of residents will burn for several days, officials said on Dec 22.
The order to leave immediately, set at the highest danger rating, remained in place for the fire in and around Grampians National Park, about 241km west of state capital Melbourne, Victoria’s emergency services agency said on its website.
“There’s still a lot of unburnt fuel in the Grampians, so it’s quite a challenge for the days ahead,” Country Fire Authority deputy chief officer Garry Cook told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, referring to the fire that now covered 34,000ha of bush.
The blaze, sparked on Dec 17 by lightning, prompted the authorities on Dec 21 to urge residents of several rural towns such as Halls Gap, population 495, to evacuate.
Hundreds of firefighters have battled the bushfire, using more than 100 tankers and 25 aircraft, ABC reported on Dec 21.
The authorities have warned of a high-risk bushfire season this Australian summer after several quiet seasons. The 2019 to 2020 Black Summer fires destroyed an area the size of Turkey and killed 33 people. REUTERS
