Devastation Amidst Australia's Bushfire Crisis: One Dead and Hundreds Displaced

Sun Jan 11 2026 19:41:11 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A catastrophic wave of bushfires in Australia has claimed one life and destroyed over 300 buildings, primarily affecting the state of Victoria. The relentless fires are fueled by extreme weather conditions and have prompted a state of emergency.

Recent bushfires in southeastern Australia have resulted in one confirmed death and extensive damage, with more than 300 buildings destroyed across Victoria and New South Wales. Emergency services are battling fierce flames under severe weather conditions, as residents are urged to evacuate. The fires continue to threaten homes and are expected to persist for several weeks, marking one of the most significant fire crises since 2019-2020.

One person has died and 300 homes and buildings have been destroyed in bushfires that have torn across south-east Australia.

The fires have raged in dozens of locations across the country for several days, mostly in the state of Victoria, but also in New South Wales, burning through land almost twice the size of Greater London.

A state of emergency has been declared in Victoria as thousands of firefighters and more than 70 aircraft battled the blaze. Residents in more than a dozen communities have been advised to leave their homes.

The authorities fear the blazes, which are being fuelled by very hot, dry and windy conditions, could burn for several weeks.

Victoria's Premier, Jacinta Allan, noted 30 active fires were burning across the state, ten of which were of particular concern. She reported that as of the latest update, 350,000 hectares had been burnt across the state.

Human remains were discovered in the village of Gobur, intensifying the tragedy. The fires are having a notable impact on air quality, especially in metropolitan areas like Melbourne.

The community in Harcourt, where local firefighter Tyrone Rice lost his home, illustrates the devastating human toll of the fires. Eyewitness accounts describe catastrophic devastation across affected regions.

The authorities indicated these fires are the worst to hit south-east Australia since the devastating 2019-2020 bushfires, which killed 33 people and destroyed an area the size of Turkey.