Overview
- Two uncontrolled fires at Longwood and in Mt Lawson State Park near Walwa have each burned roughly 3,000 hectares, with urgent “leave now” alerts for nearby communities.
- A 74‑kilometre stretch of the Hume Highway is shut between Seymour and Violet Town, and at least two structures have been confirmed destroyed near Longwood.
- Friday’s fire danger is forecast as “catastrophic” across multiple Victorian districts, with a statewide total fire ban, advice to leave high‑risk areas by 7am, and about 450 schools set to close.
- More than 400 firefighters and around 70 aircraft are deployed, with 92 NSW personnel assisting, as dry lightning and hot northerlies threaten rapid fire growth.
- The heatwave is driving mid‑to‑upper 40s Celsius in southern Australia, and a separate tropical low off Queensland could strengthen and bring heavy rain and flooding to coastal areas.