Two giant bushfires in the south of New South Wales and Victoria have merged into a terrifying mega blaze.
The East Ournie Creek and Dunns Road fires near the Victoria border were upgraded to watch and act level this morning.
But by lunchtime they had merged as temperatures hit 37C and 20kmh winds fanned the flames.
Together the blazes, including sections that have burnt out, cover half-a-million hectares – about five times the size of Canberra.
The Rural Fire Service forecast extreme danger for the fireground today and warned of ‘erratic behaviour’ meaning the flames can move and change direction quickly.
The fire has already passed through the towns of Talbingo, Wondalga, Kunama and Batlow.
Residents in Goobragandra Valley, Brindebella, Mundaroo, Ournie, Mannus and Tooma have been told to keep watch and prepare to evacuate if necessary.
‘If you are in the area south of Tumbarumba to Khancoban, and west of the Kosciuszko National Park, you should leave early. Do not be in the path of these fires,’ the RFS website says.
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See Also:
(1) Army ships in an emergency delivery of BEER so the pub in fire-ravaged Mallacoota won’t run dry
(2) Experts Say California Wildfires Not Caused by Climate Change
