MOSCOW (Sputnik) – "Temperatures in the high 30s [Celsius], coupled together with north-westerly winds of up to 20 to 25km/h [12 to 16 miles per hour] and the dryness of vegetation… makes for difficult firefighting conditions," State Control Centre spokesman James Todd said as quoted by the newspaper on Thursday.
Hundreds of firefighters are battling the Surf Coast bushfire and more than 500 have been deployed to tackle the Wye River and Lorne wildfires, according to Herald Sun.
Total fire bans are in effect in five districts in Australia’s Victoria State, the local newspaper said.
About 20 firefighters from New Zealand will be deployed to Victoria next week to assist in firefighting efforts. New Zealand could also send aircraft to Australia if the Surf Coast fire breaks containment lines.
