NSW, Victoria Bracing Again For Temps Up To 110F, Merging Fires; 5% Of Victoria Already Burned
Residents in large areas of Victoria have again been advised to leave their homes before a day of “extreme” fire conditions throughout south-eastern Australia that could see the merging of at least two major fires.
At least 5% of Victoria has already burned. Authorities sent a text message to East Gippsland and the north-east region on Thursday advising people within the at-risk area, which extends from the New South Wales border to the coast, to evacuate before “heat spike” conditions on Friday.
Temperatures were forecast to reach more than 40C in parts of East Gippsland and the north-east, and wind gusts of up to 90km/h are predicted as a south-westerly change drives a line of fire back to the alpine towns of Bright and Harrietville. NSW is also bracing for severe fire conditions, with temperatures forecast to reach more than 40C in large parts of the state, including 42C in Penrith.
In South Australia, more than 200 firefighters are battling to contain a fire that has burned more than a third of Kangaroo Island and is threatening to increase in size under “difficult firefighting conditions” on Friday. And in Western Australia, major supermarket chains confirmed they were experiencing supply shortages from the extended closure of the Eyre Highway, which has been closed for more than two weeks due to a bushfire near Norseman.
EDIT
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/09/australia-fires-victorians-urged-to-leave-amid-fears-heat-spike-will-cause-bushfires-to-merge