‘Catastrophic’ bushfire crisis escalates in Victoria
Victoria is under a total fire ban as the state battles a mounting bushfire crisis that has destroyed at least 10 homes, prompted evacuations and razed more than 50,000 hectares of bushland.
In her statement overnight, Prime Minister Jacinta Allan announced that a state of disaster was declared in 18 local government areas and Lake Mountain Alpine Resort.
He said the declaration was made in response to the danger to life and property in the affected areas and “sends a clear message to those who have been advised to leave: If you can, you should.”
Three people remained missing as dozens of fires burned Friday amid a severe heat wave that state officials described as the worst wildfires since the 2019-2020 Black Summer fires.
The missing people, two adults and a child, were missing after a fire destroyed their home in the town of Longwood, about 50 kilometers north of Melbourne, on Thursday, authorities said.
Tonight, I declared a State of Disaster, giving our authorities additional powers to confront an emergency of extraordinary scale and danger. It’s all about one thing: preserving Victorian lives. And it sends a clear message: If you’re told to go, go. This… pic.twitter.com/fgeGjXNl3a— Jacinta Allan (@JacintaAllanMP) January 9, 2026
In the nearby town of Ruffy, property including a school was lost to fire and a local firefighter was hospitalized with third-degree burns to his hands.
About 230 kilometers to the east, a separate fire near the border town of Walwa destroyed a pine tree plantation.
The massive Longwood fire has burned more than 35,000 hectares, while the fire near Walwa has burned more than 17,000 hectares.
Both fires, some of the state’s fiercest, were expected to burn uncontrolled for weeks despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters working on the field.
Rising temperatures increased fire risk on Friday; As the mercury rose into the mid-40s in central Victoria, wind speeds reached up to 90 km/h.
Early on Saturday, several fires were at emergency level – the highest degree of danger – as the Country Fire Authority declared a total fire ban for the day.
The agency warned that hot, strong winds would likely fuel the fires, many of which were ignited by lightning strikes.
Ms Allan said fire activity was becoming more extreme as existing fires led to new out-of-control fires.
“The combination of weather factors creates conditions where fires on the landscape can become uncontrollable very quickly,” Ms Allan said in Melbourne.
Emergency Management Victoria described the fire conditions as “catastrophic and extreme” and said the situation remained incredibly dynamic and was the worst in the state since the Black Summer of 2019-20.
At an evacuation center in the town of Seymour, near Longwood, local Jan Newton said leaving her home brought back memories of Black Saturday, which killed 173 people in 2009.
“When you look at the house, you think I’ve lived here for 50 years and been through five bushfires – I just pray my luck doesn’t run out,” he said Friday.
The Bureau of Meteorology says a cold front will bring cooler conditions to Victoria on Saturday, with maximum temperatures in the mid-20s.
