Victoria Declares State of Disaster as Extreme Bushfires Follow Brutal Heatwave

Overview

• Fire authorities report more than 30 bushfires still burning, with evacuations and curfews ordered in high‑risk rural communities.
• Police say three people, including a child, are missing in one of the worst‑affected areas.
• Near Longwood, early assessments indicate nearly 150,000 hectares burned, with at least 20 homes destroyed in the town of Ruffy.
• Local officials and media report widespread outages, with tens of thousands of homes and businesses losing power during the fires.
• Firefighters faced extreme behavior, including a reported fire tornado on the Victoria–New South Wales border, as temperatures exceeded 40°C.