SYDNEY, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Residents of several towns west of Melbourne in Australia's state of Victoria have been told to leave immediately as a nearby major bushfire continues to burn out-of-control.
As of Saturday morning local time, leave-immediately warnings were in place for six towns in and around the Grampians National Park, approximately 230 km west of Melbourne, that are under threat from the bushfire.
Alan Slijepcevic, a commander from the Country Fire Authority, said that the fire, which was sparked on Monday by lightning, grew in size from 7,500 hectares on Friday morning to over 28,000 hectares on Saturday as temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius were exacerbated by strong winds.
He said that about 400 firefighters were working to control the blaze with 100 tankers, 25 aircraft and other heavy machinery.
"There is a large area of burning, and it will continue burning because there are a lot of hot spots and a lot of hot areas in the north of the fire," Slijepcevic said.
Approximately 2,500 people have been told to leave immediately.
In addition to those communities told to evacuate, residents in nine more towns have been advised to prepare to leave.
Strong winds carried smoke from the fire to Melbourne on Friday night where it blanketed the city, turning the skyline orange. The smoke had cleared by Saturday morning.
The Grampians National Park has been closed and visitors told to stay away.
A cool change swept across most of Victoria on Friday evening and the Bureau of Meteorology said conditions would offer some relief over the weekend.
Watch and act warnings have also been issued for two other fires, one at Bullengarook northwest of Melbourne and another southeast of the city, with nearby residents told to monitor conditions and be ready to act. ■
