Sydney, Jan. 30 -- Authorities in southeast Australia have ordered communities to evacuate as bushfires in western Melbourne, the capital city of Australia's state of Victoria, continue to spread.
Victorian emergency services on Thursday morning urged about 100 residents of four small towns near the southwestern edge of the Grampians National Park, about 250 km west of Melbourne, to leave immediately to escape the threat posed by a nearby out-of-control fire.
A warning issued by VicEmergency shortly after 7:30 a.m. local time said that there was a significant increase in fire activity overnight that caused a fire burning along the national park's western edge to spread in multiple directions.
"Leaving immediately is the safest option,...