Australia hit by massive wildfires, tens of thousands lose power

Authorities granted emergency powers

The declaration of a state of disaster gives the government expanded powers to fight the fires. In particular, authorities can carry out forced evacuations, restrict movement across the region, and requisition private property to deal with the consequences of the fires.

Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan stressed that the fires are spreading extremely fast and that the top priority for authorities remains saving lives.

Missing people and thousands of homes without power

As of the morning, three people — a man, a woman, and a child — are considered missing. Although the peak of extreme heat in the region is gradually easing, the situation remains critical due to a prolonged drought that lasted through most of 2025.

As a result of the fires, about 38,000 homes and businesses have been left without electricity. The fires have already destroyed more than 130 buildings and burned over 300,000 hectares of bushland.

Largest fire and scale of destruction

The most powerful fire outbreak has been recorded near the town of Longwood, 112 km from Melbourne. There, the blaze has destroyed about 130,000 hectares of land, including vineyards and agricultural areas.

Overall, at least 10 major fire fronts remain active across the state. By their intensity, these fires are already being compared to the catastrophic "Black Summer" of 2019–2020.

Authorities' response and outlook

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the weather conditions as “extreme and dangerous” and confirmed that a large part of Victoria has officially been declared a disaster zone.

Due to the threat to human life, dozens of settlements have been evacuated, while national parks and campsites have been closed. Fire danger and extreme heat warnings are also in effect in the neighboring state of New South Wales.

Natural anomalies across Australia

While Victoria is battling massive fires, other regions of the country are facing opposite natural disasters:

• New South Wales — one of the hottest days in recent years has been recorded in the suburbs of Sydney;
• Queensland — flood warnings have been issued due to a tropical cyclone approaching from the Coral Sea.

Scientists note that Victoria is one of the most fire-prone regions in the world. According to them, smoke from this season’s fires has already reached the shores of Argentina, indicating the global scale of the environmental disaster.

On November 26, a large fire broke out at the Van Phuc Court residential complex in the Tay district. The complex has 2,000 apartments housing about 4,600 residents. At the time, authorities assigned the fire the highest, fifth level of danger.

The fire was caused by burning bamboo construction scaffolding and netting that surrounded the buildings during renovation.