State of emergency declared in ACT amid heatwave, rising fire danger

A state of emergency has been declared in the ACT as Canberra faces its biggest bushfire threat in 17 years.

Conditions are set to worsen over the weekend
with temperatures expected to hit the low 40s. 

Chief Minister Andrew Barr made the announcement on Friday, with an 18,500-hectare fire in the Namadgi National Park set to threaten homes in the capital’s south over the weekend.

The fire was at emergency level on Friday afternoon, with projections suggesting Canberra’s southern suburbs were at most risk.

The bushfire threat comes as federal parliament is set to resume next Tuesday, with the first sitting day to be dedicated to condolences after more than 30 people died during this summer’s horror fire season.

Mr Barr said Canberra faced its worst bushfire threat since the devastating fires of 2003 when up to 500 homes were destroyed and four people died trying to escape bushfires in the city’s suburbs.

Read the story from The New Daily - “State of emergency declared in ACT amid heatwave, rising fire danger.”