Australia: Emergency declared amid massive bushfires

By Zehra Nur Duz

ANKARA (AA) - Emergency warnings are in place for out-of-control bushfires in the north of Melbourne, Australia's coastal capital of the southeastern state of Victoria, according to local media on Monday.

Extreme fire weather threatens local residents as blazes intensify, Australia-based ABC News reported.

Local people who live in Bundoora, Mill Park, Greensborough and Plenty regions are being called to escape from the bushfire “immediately”, the agency said.

Authorities warned residents to “close all doors, turn off cooling systems and shelter in rooms with two exits, and move to already-burnt ground if their home caught fire,” the agency added.

A bushfire effective in Wingan River was moving towards the southeastern town of Mallacoota and could badly affect the town in the afternoon, authorities stressed.