Bush fires rage in two Australia states as summer temperatures soar
- In Victoria, dozens of firefighters narrowly escaped after a fire changed direction unpredictably due to high winds
- In Tasmania, the uncontrolled wilderness bush fire raging in the southwest was expected to continue its fury over the weekend
About 40 firefighters in Australia’s Victoria state had to take life-saving action after an out-of-control blaze switched direction due to a wind change.
Three groups of firefighters were working on the eastern flank of the Rosedale fire in Gippsland on Friday when a predicted wind change occurred, emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp said on Saturday.
The flank became the fire front and raged towards the firefighters, who came out shaken but uninjured by the experience. A fire truck, trailer and bulldozer belonging to Forest Fire Management were burnt out. There will be a review into how the firefighters came to be in harm’s way.
“They found themselves in a very serious situation and they were shaken as a result of it,” Crisp said. “I have spoken to both the chiefs of those organisations, but they’re safe and well and they are being well looked after and we need to and we will learn from this.”
A watch and act alert was in place for residents near Rosedale, in the state’s east, where a fire had been burning on Friday night.
While kite surfers in Port Phillip Bay were taking advantage of the strong winds and choppy conditions on Saturday morning, authorities were scrambling to remove trees that had blown across roads and motorways.