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Heat Wave Fuels Massive Wildfire In Australia

Temperatures rose as much as 34 degrees above average in Victoria, Australia, where wildfires have already destroyed 750,000 acres and more 100 homes and buildings. It is the worst heat wave for the country since the catastrophic wildfires of 2020.

This handout photo from the CFA Wandong Fire Brigade posted on their Facebook page taken on January 7, 2026 and released on January 8 shows a bushfire burning near the town of Longwood, northern Victoria. Firefighters warned millions of Australians of "catastrophic" bushfire dangers on January 8 as they battled multiple blazes stoked by a heatwave blanketing the country. (Photo by Kylie Shingles / CFA WANDONG FIRE BRIGADE / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO/CFA Wandong Fire Brigade/Kylie Shingles - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS — Firefighters warned millions of Australians of "catastrophic" bushfire dangers as they battled multiple blazes stoked by a heatwave blanketing the country.
(Photo by Kylie Shingles / CFA WANDONG FIRE BRIGADE / AFP via Getty Images)

A state of disaster was declared in Victoria, Australia, early Saturday morning.

As a heat wave fuels wildfires north of Melbourne, Premier Jacinta Allan delivered the declaration in the face of what she described as an emergency of extraordinary scale and danger.

“Taking this step is about one thing: protecting Victorian lives,” Allan wrote in a statement. “And it sends one clear message: if you have been told to leave - go.”

According to local reporting, more than 740,000 acres have burned so far and at least 130 homes or buildings have been destroyed. At the current count, 36 wildfires are burning.

Meteorologist Rob Shackelford noted that unusually high temperatures this week have contributed to the conditions, "Across parts of southern Australia, temperatures over 18 degrees F above average were widespread, including cities Melbourne and Sydney. Some isolated areas saw highs nearly 34 degrees above their January averages. Remember, January is right in the middle of the Southern Hemisphere's summer."

A heat wave of that magnitude hasn’t been seen in Australia since the 2019-2020 season, when 59 million acres were burned in wildfires and 33 people died.

Extreme winds are also contributing to the blaze. In Burrowye, a rural area on the border between Victoria and New South Wales, a firenado was reported to have been seen.

Across Melbourne, wildfire smoke drifting down from the fires has caused the sky to turn red. Local authorities urged residents with respiratory conditions to take precautions as the fires continue.

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA - 2026/01/09: The sun casts an orange hue across the sky as smoke from bushfires drifts over Docklands. Smoke from multiple bushfires and grassfires burning the city is affecting air quality and visibility, turning the sky red. The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has issued a community information message advising that smoke and ash may be seen or smelled in areas far from the fires. Residents are urged to take precautions especially those with respiratory conditions as bushfire activity continues. (Photo by Ye Myo Khant/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) — The sun casts an orange hue across the sky as smoke from bushfires drifts over Docklands. Smoke from multiple bushfires and grassfires burning the city is affecting air quality and visibility, turning the sky red.
(Photo by Ye Myo Khant/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

As the situation worsens, Tropical Cyclone Koji is now forecast to make landfall on Australia's northeast coast near Ayr on Sunday. Residents have been told to prepare to shelter in place.

We’ll continue to update this story as we learn more.