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River stands between three enormous Aussie blazes forming 'megafire'

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Mon, 6 Jan 2020, 10:46AM
Satellite photos show the extent of smoke rising up from Australia. (Photo / AP)

River stands between three enormous Aussie blazes forming 'megafire'

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Mon, 6 Jan 2020, 10:46AM

2EC BREAKFAST HOST KIM SAKER TALKS WITH TIM DOWER ABOVE ABOUT THE FIRES

A river is the only thing stopping three major fires spanning two states merging into a terrifying 'mega-blaze' as locals are told to urgently flee.

As of this morning there's only about 10km of space that stands between Victoria's Corryong blaze and the two fires burning out of control at NSW's Kosciuszko National Park.

Despite the threat, up to half of the residents living between the Upper Murray blaze, and fires burning nearby in NSW, had chosen to stay.

Incident Controller Leith McKenzie told reporters she was "very frustrated" at the situation.

"They're stubborn and they don't want to move," she said. "They're defending their life and that's what they know."

After a "horrendous" weekend of bushfires on NSW's South Coast, the Southern Highlands and the Snowy Mountains, there are still 136 fires burning in the state.

Thousands of Diggers will descend on bushfire-ravaged towns today as hundreds of people are expected to find out their homes have been destroyed.

In South Australia, a convoy of army vehicles with up to 100 reservists is heading for Kangaroo Island as the bushfire recovery gathers pace.

A firefighting crew battles a fire near Burrill Lake. Photo / AP

A firefighting crew battles a fire near Burrill Lake. Photo / AP

The blaze, which has burnt more than 155,000 hectares inside a 300-kilometre perimeter, is still active in some areas.

In Victoria, showers are giving firefighters some relief but hot conditions are forecast to return later in the week.

The heavy, acrid smell of bushfire smoke from eastern Victoria is finding its way into homes in Melbourne, and it is likely to hang around all of Monday.

The smoke, from fires burning more than 280km away in East Gippsland, is being carried by east to southeasterly winds, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

The Environmental Protection Authority says the air quality forecast for much of Monday is "very poor".

Residents in the Latrobe Valley, Geelong and Greater Melbourne are being urged to ventilate homes and minimise time spent outside.

 

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