Hundreds of people had to evacuate urgently.

(CLO) On December 22, the government of Victoria state, Australia, announced that a large bushfire was out of control in the Grampians National Park area, about 241 km west of Melbourne city.

The fire has forced hundreds of residents to evacuate and is expected to continue raging for several days.

Fires in the Orroral Valley seen from Tuggeranong south of Canberra during Australia's 2020 "Black Summer" bushfires. Photo: Nick-D / CC BY-SA 4.0

According to Victoria’s emergency services, an “immediate leave” order – the highest warning level – remains in place for areas affected by the fire, including the town of Halls Gap, which has a population of about 495. The fire has now spread across 34,000 hectares.

"There is still a lot of unburned fuel in the Grampians area, which will present a significant challenge to controlling the fire over the coming days," Garry Cook, deputy chief commissioner of the Country Fire Authority (CFA), told ABC.

The fire is believed to have started from a lightning strike on December 19. From there, it quickly spread, threatening many rural residential areas and the natural ecosystem in the national park. Hundreds of firefighters were mobilized, using more than 100 fire trucks and 25 aircraft to control the blaze.

Australian authorities have warned that the risk of bushfires is high this summer. Experts are also concerned that hot, dry conditions and strong winds will make it more difficult to control the fires.

During the 2019-2020 "Black Summer" bushfire season, Australia witnessed an unprecedented disaster when bushfires devastated an area the size of Türkiye, killing 33 people and leaving thousands homeless.

Hong Hanh (according to Reuters, theguardian)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/chay-rung-vuot-kiem-soat-o-uc-hang-tram-nguoi-phai-so-tan-khan-cap-post326881.html