Australia fires force evacuations as country swelters in ‘scorching’ heat amid record temperatures

Out-of-control bushfires forced hundreds of residents and tourists to flee several towns in rural southeast Australia on Sunday, as the country sweltered in extreme temperatures.

People in four towns in Victoria state’s Gippsland, a region of national parks and wineries popular with tourists, were told to evacuate immediately while residents of three other towns and surrounding areas were warned to prepare to leave.

Among those who escaped was Briagolong resident Rob Saunders, who saw the flames reach his house.

“I watched the main water tank, the plastic tanks melt away”, he told public broadcaster ABC. “The car port is gone, the camper trailer and bits and pieces all went up [in flames].

“I looked to the side of my house, it’s a mud brick, raw timber house, one of my veranda posts was on fire … it was time for me to go,” he said.

Further north in Sydney, temperatures reached 35.5C (95.9F) – the warmest October day since 2019. The hottest October day on record was 38.2C in 2004.

‘Angry’ Australian summer weather smashes records

October temperature records are usually set towards the end of the month, as the days get longer and Australia gets closer to summer.

But Angus Hines, senior meteorologist from the Bureau of Meteorology, said: “To even be within cooee [near to records] on the first day of the month is unusual, for sure.”

As global temperatures rise due to climate change, scientists have warned heatwaves and other extreme weather events will become more frequent and intense.

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Australia faces a high-risk bushfire season following the onset of an El Nino weather event, recently announced, which is typically associated with extreme events such as wildfires, cyclones and droughts.

State Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib announced the start of an official bushfire danger period, with the “scorching” heat lifting the risk for the week ahead.

“Not only is it hot, it’s dry and it’s windy and those conditions combined are the perfect storm,” Dib said.

Fire authorities on Sunday issued nine total fire bans for parts of the state to reduce the chance of bushfires.

Australia’s last two fire seasons have been quiet compared with the catastrophic 2019-2020 “Black Summer” of bushfires that destroyed an area the size of Turkey and killed 33 people. In Sydney, local resident Sandy Chapman said she was worried about the mix of extreme heat and wind.

“It doesn’t take long to start a fire and have it burning and it’s very scary,” Chapman said.

Sydneysider Katie Kell hoped there would be no repeat of bushfires on the same scale as 2019-20.

“I don’t know, with how hot it’s been since the start of spring, I’m not too confident,” Kell said.