Firefighters order evacuation as heatwave bakes Australia

Firefighters issue evacuation orders in Australia as a severe heatwave fuels dangerous bushfires across multiple states.

Firefighters told people to flee an out-of-control bushfire in southeast Australia on Tuesday (January 27, 2026) as a heatwave baked much of the country.

Temperatures hit a record high in the eastern State of Victoria, preliminary data showed.

"Conditions are heating up across the State, and we're seeing those 40 degree temperatures roll in," said Country Fire Authority Chief Officer Jason Heffernan.

"Firefighters on the ground will now start to really notice how hot it is getting, and they'll really start to notice the picking up of the winds," he told public broadcaster ABC.

Authorities issued an immediate emergency evacuation warning for hundreds of people in four country towns at risk from the fire in the Otways region southwest of Melbourne.

Residents in another three rural areas nearby were urged to leave as well, with the warning: "Due to extreme weather today, the fire is predicted to rapidly expand and pose a threat to communities."