About 30,000 people in the Australian state of Victoria have been asked to leave their homes due to bushfires caused by severe drought in the region.

Highest fire warning level in effect for the state’s west: Catastrophic. This means that residents are in mortal danger if they do not leave the area. Train traffic stopped in part of the state. Bushfire warnings are also in effect for south-eastern South Australia. Very hot weather currently in parts of the two states. In the city of Medora, with a population of about 56,000, temperatures can reach 45 degrees Celsius, says the Met Office, the government meteorological institute.

In recent days, the fire brigade has done its best to prevent the spread of forest fires. Australian news channel Letters of News Reports indicate that, among other things, a group of about 160 firefighters has set up a base camp in the area. There they can sleep and shower, among other things, and there are dozens of fire engines at the ready.

The fire brigade is battling a huge blaze near the city of Ballarat, about 100 kilometers west of Melbourne. The fires that have been burning since last Thursday have destroyed six homes, killed livestock, and burned more than 200 square kilometers of land.