Sawt Falasteen - Firefighters warn of 'hectic' Australian bushfires

Temperatures are forecast to soar past 40C in parts of the region, creating some of the most dangerous bushfire weather since the "Black Summer" blazes of 2019-2020.

Dozens of rural hamlets in the state of Victoria were urged to evacuate while they still could.

"The conditions were extreme yesterday. They're catastrophic today," said Country Fire Authority boss Jason Heffernan.

"Victorians should brace themselves for more property loss or worse.

"Today is going to be quite a hectic and volatile day for firefighters, fire authorities and communities."

One of the most destructive bushfires has already razed some 28,000 hectares (70,000 acres) near the town of Longwood, about 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Victoria's capital Melbourne.

"Some properties have lost everything," said local fire captain George Noye.

"They've lost their livelihoods, they've lost their shearing sheds, livestock, just absolutely devastating," he told national broadcaster ABC.

"But thankfully, at the moment, no lives have been lost."

- 'Black Summer' -

Photos taken earlier this week showed the night sky glowing orange as the fire ripped through bushland.

Another blaze was so intense that it stirred up a localised thunderstorm, fire authorities said.

Millions of people across Australia's two most populous states -- Victoria and New South Wales -- have been warned to remain on high alert, including in major cities Sydney and Melbourne.

Hundreds of baby bats died earlier this week as stifling temperatures hit the state of South Australia, a local wildlife group said.

The "Black Summer" bushfires raged across Australia's eastern seaboard from late 2019 to early 2020, razing millions of hectares, destroying thousands of homes and blanketing cities in noxious smoke.

Australia's climate has warmed by an average of 1.51C since 1910, researchers have found, fuelling increasingly frequent extreme weather patterns over both land and sea.

Australia remains one of the world's largest producers and exporters of gas and coal, two key fossil fuels blamed for global heating.

J.AbuShaban--SF-PST