SYDNEY (AP) – More than 100 houses were destroyed by a Christmas Day wildfire that tore through a stretch of coastline popular with tourists in southern Australia, forcing thousands to flee their homes, officials said Saturday.
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The Country Fire Authority (CFA) confirmed 35 homes had been lost in Wye River, and 18 at Separation Creek on Friday.
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The 2000-hectare Jamieson Track fire has been threatening to advance on the town of Lorne, with many residents evacuating their homes overnight.
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There are no shops at Separation Creek; the nearest shop and hotel is located at Wye River, which is connected to the town by the Great Ocean Road and on foot by Paddys Path. In July 2014, the federal government announced a $4m upgrade of the Separation Creek bridge, with a new pedestrian walkway across the creek to allow for safer access between the towns.
“This fire is a fire that will remain with potential to burn in January and February this year”, Craig Lapsley, the state’s emergency services commissioner, told a news conference.
The road and nearby Great Otway National Park have been closed to the public due to the fires.
Hot and windy conditions have pushed bushfires out of control in the state of Victoria, in southern Australia.
Residents in some towns along the Great Ocean Road have been allowed to return home after a firestorm forced evacuations over night.
No injuries or deaths have been reported so far.
“You could see where the fire was slowly smouldering, then the wind got up and the thing just went mad”.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull took to Twitter on Christmas night to thank those fighting the fires on Victoria’s surf coast.
“There’s information coming from all angles all the time via social media and the internet so to actually get together in person makes a huge difference”, he said.
Mr West said the weather over the next few days was expected to be favourable for firefighting, with rain and lower temperatures.
Holden said the parking lots and cafes in Apollo Bay had started to crowd by early afternoon, including one cafe that remained open even after it had run out of food.
“The fire at Lorne and the fire at Wye River are both of significant concern to us”, Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters on Friday.
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According to Lapsley, the fire was triggered by a lightning strike on December 19.
