Australia fires: Thousands told to evacuate in Victoria

2019-12-29 15:57:17

Tens of thousands of residents and holidaymakers in the Australian state of Victoria have been told to evacuate amid worsening bushfire conditions. Temperatures of over 40C (104F), strong winds, thunderstorms and a change of wind direction meant Monday would be a day of extreme danger, officials said. Emergencies chief Andrew Crisp said those in the East Gippsland area should leave no later than Monday morning. More than 100 fires are continuing to burn across Australia. The biggest are raging near the city of Sydney in New South Wales, where more than a quarter of a million people have signed a petition calling for the New Year's Eve fireworks to be cancelled and the money spent on fighting fires.