An out-of-control bushfire is raging in the Australian state of Victoria today, causing authorities to issue a new evacuation alert with the highest level of danger for hundreds of residents in the western parts of the state.
The emergency warning follows the downgrade of the danger level of another bushfire earlier this week that killed livestock, destroyed property and forced more than 2,000 people to flee western towns.
The new fire threatened the rural town of Amphitheatre, with a population of 223. Three houses and several outbuildings were destroyed in the state of Victoria this week as a result of the emergency, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
“Leaving immediately is the safest option, before conditions become too dangerous,” Vic Emergency said on its website, adding that the fire was “not yet under control.”
Australia is currently at the mercy of the El Niño weather phenomenon, which is commonly associated with extreme events such as wildfires, cyclones and droughts.
About 1,000 firefighters, supported by more than 50 aircraft, have been battling the fires since they started.
