Thousands of firefighters battle devastating fires in Victoria, Australia

The battle against widespread forest fires continued in the Australian state of Victoria on Saturday. Thousands of firefighters are deployed to try to bring the flames under control after they destroyed homes, knocked out electricity, and burned vast areas of vegetation. The fires broke out in the middle of the week during a heatwave in southeastern Australia.

Authorities reported in the morning that more than 300,000 hectares had been burned and ten large fires were still burning across the state. More than 130 buildings, including homes, have been destroyed, and approximately 38,000 households and businesses are without power.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warned of "extremely dangerous" weather and said he was thinking of the people in the affected regions.

One of the largest fires near the town of Longwood, north of Melbourne, burned about 130,000 hectares, destroyed 30 buildings, and damaged vineyards and farmland. Dozens of communities have been evacuated, and parks and campgrounds are closed.

(reuters, lud)