‘Catastrophic’ bushfires in Australia destroy homes, vast swathes of land; Victoria on high alert

‘One of the most dangerous fire days’

Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch told a news conference that firefighters were battling 30 active blazes, with the state’s fire danger rating on Friday at “catastrophic” — the highest level.

Authorities have warned that damaging winds and temperatures up to ‍46 degrees ⁠Celsius forecast for Victoria’s north would mean any fires burning will be “undefendable,” Reuters quoted.

“Today represents one of the most dangerous fire days that this state has experienced in years,” Victoria’s state Premier Jacinta Allan told reporters.

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Smoke from the Longwood bushfire is seen at a staging area outside Seymour in central Victoria, Australia, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo)

In South Australia, meanwhile, local fire authorities said they have battled multiple small fire incidents across the state overnight and temperatures were expected to hit 46 degrees Celsius in some areas, BBC noted.

Bushfire Damage 

A blaze near the ​town of Longwood in Australia has burned through ‌more than 35,000 hectares (86,486 acres) of bushland, while a blaze near Walwa has grown to around 20,000 hectares (49,421 acres), Reuters reported.

The largest fire near Longwood had destroyed community and residential property, including multiple homes, a community centre and ‌a telephone exchange, Wiebusch told reporters.

“We can’t confirm those numbers at this stage, it’s still too dangerous to get in and ‌on the ground,” he said.

According to the BBC, at least 20 homes in the small town of Ruffy were destroyed, with CFA captain George Noye saying that the town had been “severely” affected.

“The main street looks like a bomb’s gone off, we’ve lost a school,” he told ABC News. “Some properties have lost everything. They’ve lost their livelihoods, they’ve lost their shearing sheds, livestock, just absolutely devastating. But thankfully, at the moment, no lives have been lost,” Noye added.

Another fire near Walwa, north-east Victoria, has burned through over 17,000 hectares of land this week, the report added.

Child among ‘missing’ people

Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Bob Hill, meanwhile, confirmed that two adults and a child were “unaccounted ‌for” in Longwood after firefighters told them to shelter in their house a day earlier, Reuters stated in its report.

“They alerted those people that the risks ‌are great, the risks ‍are so ⁠high that ​they needed to take shelter, that it was too late for them to leave,” he said.

Those fire officials returned later to find the home had burnt down but could not locate the three people, as per reports. “They may be safe, they may be alive, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but we are keeping an open mind,” Hill said.

Firefighter David shared satellite imagery on X, showing the concerning situation in Australia. “Quite a horrible situation in Victoria. Multiple large bushfires burning. Catastrophic fire danger,” he said.

Quite a horrible situation in Victoria. Multiple large bushfires burning. Catastrophic fire danger.#wildfire #bushfire #VictoriaBushfires #Australia #AusFires #VictoriaFires #fire #BushfiresVic #Victoria pic.twitter.com/EtiAe4Q3Re

— David M (@unleashedff295) January 9, 2026

The Walwa fire had burned through a ‌pine plantation but hasn’t caused any property losses yet.

Many communities near the areas grappling with fire incidents have been ‌evacuated, while parks and campgrounds have announced closure.

Bushfire warning issued

In the Australian Capital Territory, including the capital city of Canberra, a total fire ban has been declared for the first time in six years, BBC report stated.

Sydney will see the mercury rise up to 42 degrees Celsius on Saturday, before dropping to around 26 degrees Celsius by Sunday, BBC reported.

Country Fire Authority (CFA) chief officer Jason Heffernan has urged all Victorians to be on high alert, not just those near active fires.

In 2019, bushfires destroyed large tracts of southeastern Australia, killing 33 people, in what became known as the Black Summer, as per BBC.