Key events
Jacinta Allan says three people that have been missing in the Longwood fires since yesterday afternoon remain unaccounted for.
The Victoria police deputy commissioner Bob Hill said yesterday that firefighters had spoken to the man, woman and child on Thursday morning and warned it was too late to leave the area. When crews returned later that afternoon, the house they had been standing in front of had been “completely destroyed”.
Allan:
As soon as we get further details through Victoria Police, we will be providing confirmation because I understand that people are anxious to know about how their friends and family and loved ones are going, and it’s also a reminder for people to check in, check in on your family and friends and neighbours, because this continues to be both a difficult and very dynamic time.
Fire threat continues to be ‘very dangerous and difficult’, Victoria’s premier says
Caitlin Cassidy
Victoria’s premier, Jacinta Allan, is appearing on the Today show after declaring a state of disaster in more than a dozen areas earlier this morning resulting from the ongoing bushfires.
Allan confirms there are 36 active fire fronts across Victoria today, spanning “pretty much all parts of the state”.
To give you a sense of the seriousness of these fires, there’s 19 emergency warnings and alerts out for those communities giving them advice to evacuate or leave because of the threat of the fire.
She says “thousands” of firefighters and emergency services have worked through the night as the fire threat continues to be “very dangerous and difficult”.
There has been a bit of a weather change. So whilst it’s not the extreme heat in southern parts of the state, in northern parts of the state, it continues to be hot. It continues to be windy.
Victorian premier Jacinta Allan has declared a state of disaster in 18 local government areas as the state battles an escalating bushfire crisis that has destroyed at least 10 homes, prompted evacuations and razed more than 50,000 hectares of bushland, Australian Associated Press reports.
She said the declaration overnight was in response to danger to life or property in the affected areas and “sends a clear message to those who have been advised to leave: if you can, you must”.
Tonight, I declared a State of Disaster, which gives our authorities additional powers to confront an emergency of extraordinary scale and danger. It’s all about one thing: protecting Victorian lives. And it sends one clear message: if you have been told to leave – go.
This… pic.twitter.com/fgeGjXNl3a
— Jacinta Allan (@JacintaAllanMP) January 9, 2026
She said in a post on X that the decision gave agencies more powers to tackle the fires.
Tonight, I declared a State of Disaster, which gives our authorities additional powers to confront an emergency of extraordinary scale and danger. It’s all about one thing: protecting Victorian lives. And it sends one clear message: if you have been told to leave – go.
Three people remained missing in the dozens of fires burning on Friday amid a severe heatwave, in what state authorities described as the worst bushfires since the 2019-2020 black summer blazes.
Those missing – two adults and a child – were unaccounted for on Thursday after fire destroyed their house in the hard-hit town of Longwood, about 50km north of Melbourne, authorities said.
In the nearby town of Ruffy, properties, including a school, were lost to fire and a local firefighter was hospitalised with third-degree burns to his hands.
About 230km east, a separate fire near the border town of Walwa, tore through a pine tree plantation.
The massive Longwood fire has burned more than 35,000 hectares while the blaze near Walwa has burned more than 17,000.
Both fires, among the fiercest raging across the state, were expected to burn uncontrolled for weeks, despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters working in the field.
Good morning
Welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the heatwave that has engulfed much of Australia this past week, with conditions not seen since the deadly black summer in 2019-20.
Victorian premier Jacinta Allan has declared a state of disaster in 18 local government areas and an alpine resort as the state battles an escalating bushfire crisis that has destroyed multiple homes, prompted evacuations and razed more tens of thousands of hectares of bushland.
A total fire ban is in place for the entire state and three people remain unaccounted for, last seen on Thursday afternoon, as the Longwood bushfire continues to rage.
Sydney is bracing for temperatures to surpass 40C today – with western Sydney to swelter even more– while firefighters continue to battle several dangerous blazes raging in Victoria.
We’ll be bringing you all the latest coverage. Stay tuned – and stay safe.
#Australia #heatwave #live #updates #Victoria #declares #state #disaster #multiple #areas #bushfires #rage #temperatures #reach #43C #Sydney #Bushfires