‘Leave immediately’: Residents in Australia’s Victoria state urged to flee out-of-control bushfire
Residents in Australia’s Victoria state were told to flee on Saturday after an out-of-control bushfire tore through steep, forested country.
The blaze began on Thursday night near Gaffneys Creek, located about 50 km northeast of state capital Melbourne.
Victorian emergency services issued the state’s highest alert for residents around the A1 Mine Settlement after the fire moved rapidly along ridgelines, leading to road closures.
“Leaving immediately is the safest option, before conditions become too dangerous,” Victoria Emergency said on its website.
State response controller Alistair Drayton told ABC News that the bushfire was burning in “remote mountainous terrain which is difficult for crews to access from the ground”.
Firefighters had managed to contain the fire’s western edge, but they were still working round-the-clock to bring it under control.
“The fire is burning in complex and steep terrain, with crews working around the clock. They are using heavy machinery to build contain..
