Australian fire-fighters warned Sunday that gale-force winds forecast for this week threaten to fan wildfires that have killed 210 people in the country's scorched south-east. Gusts of up to 150 kilometres (93 miles) an hour forecast for Tuesday may send fires racing beyond containment lines, Victoria state's Emergency Services Commissioner Bruce Esplin said.
He also warned the winds could bring down trees and powerlines already damaged by the blazes and advised residents to leave early unless they were committed to staying in their homes and fighting the flames.
Asplin said conditions had the potential spark firestorms as devastating as "Black Saturday" on February 7 this year, Australia's worst fire disaster, or "Ash Wednesday" in 1983, when 75 people died. "The weather forecast is for conditions that could approximate Black Saturday or Ash Wednesday," Esplin said. "There is no room for complacency and there is a very strong need for everybody to be prepared to play their part."