Australian authorities declared a state of disaster on Saturday (January 10, 2026) after bushfires destroyed houses and razed vast belts of forest in the country's southeast. One of the most destructive bushfires ripped through almost 150,000 hectares (370,000 acres) near Longwood, a region cloaked in native forests. State premier Jacinta Allan on Saturday declared a state of disaster, giving fire crews emergency powers to force evacuations. Another bushfire near the small town of Walwa crackled with lightning as it radiated enough heat to form a localised thunderstorm, fire authorities said. The "Black Summer" bushfires raged across Australia's eastern seaboard from late 2019 to early 2020, razing millions of hectares, destroying thousands of homes and blanketing cities in noxious smoke.

Source: The Hindu January 10, 2026 06:31 UTC