A grass fire has spiraled out of control near Melbourne, Australia. The region around Flowerdale, about 90 kilometers north of the city on the east coast, was affected.

By Wednesday, the widespread fire had spread to more than 700 hectares of land, the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported, citing the authorities. The fire brigade tried to protect houses in the region from the flames. Local residents have been urged to heed warnings and prepare for a possible escape.

Heat wave makes extinguishing work difficult

Around 350 emergency services fought the fire in the impassable terrain, including from the air with a dozen fire-fighting aircraft and helicopters. Meanwhile, the weather did not help the fire brigade: Meteorologists predicted a heat wave for the state of Victoria that should last at least three days.

Many citizens were reminded of the catastrophic bushfires in Victoria in February 2009, which also raged in Flowerdale. The so-called Black Saturday bushfires are considered to be Australia's worst fire disaster. There were 173 confirmed fatalities, 3500 buildings were destroyed.

Fire chief issues warning

Experts warned that Australia could be hit by devastating bushfires again this year after three extremely wet years. Grass in particular, but also other plants, grew very strongly during this time, the media quoted the former fire chief of New South Wales, Greg Mullins. When it gets hot again, there is a risk of particularly violent fires.

"When we experience days like 2019 and 2020 - with strong westerly winds, very high temperatures around 40 degrees and relatively low humidity - it can cause grass fires to become unmanageable and morph into something we've never seen before "Mullins warned.