Victorian, NSW fires set to merge
There are fears that horror 'fire-initiated' thunderstorms could possibly merge the catastrophic fires in Victoria's northeast and NSW into a 'megafire'. It comes as the number of missing people is revised to six and Army helicopters are called in to evacuate at-risk communities.
Victorians were last night being flown by helicopter out of bushfire disaster zones, with the state on the edge of a “megafire” emergency.
A blaze which ripped through Corryong for a second time was moving north towards a fire that has wreaked havoc in New South Wales.
Authorities warned that despite easing weather conditions the danger was far from over.
A new threat in Omeo in the state’s northeast resulted in about 50 people being removed by army helicopters and several houses were confirmed as lost.
As an unprecedented state of disaster last night was in place:
— 53 fires were still burning out of control;
— Six people were missing, down from 21; and
— Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday deployed thousands of army reservists to help with the national bushfire emergency.
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Originally published as Victorian, NSW fires set to merge
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