Thousands told to flee homes in Australia amid heat spike, bushfire threat

FILE PHOTO: Smoke from bushfires rises north of Beaufort, near Ballarat in Victoria, Australia February 24, 2024. AAP Image/David Crosling/Pool/via REUTERS/File Photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of residents in Australia's southeast were told to evacuate on Wednesday due to an intense heatwave that authorities said could further spread a massive bushfire in Victoria state, which faces its worst conditions in four years.

Extreme fire ratings have been issued for large parts of Victoria with the Wimmera region in the west given a catastrophic ranking, the top warning level. Mildura, a rural city of about 56,000, could touch 45 degree Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), the Bureau of Meteorology said.