A fire truck dampens down a fire after a bushfire encroached on the outer suburbs of Melbourne. Australia. December 30, 2019 / AFP / William WEST
Canberra: Australian authorities on Monday have told thousands of visitors and residents in East Gippsland, Victoria, to leave immediately as a bushfire threat looms.
The emergency management commissioner, Andrew Crisp, issued the order earlier on Sunday ahead of what the Bureau of Meteorology has called one of the "significant fire weather days in Victoria's history".
There were three active fires in east Gippsland on Sunday with a combined area of more than 130,000ha.
An evacuation warning has been issued for the East Gippsland town which is surrounded by high-value old growth forests.
East Gippsland is popular with campers and holidaymakers over the New Year period.
Several areas of Australia have been affected for months by a wave of large-scale fires, in which dozens of civilians and firefighters were killed.
