MELBOURNE, Feb 17, (Xinhua): Residents of three small towns north of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria were on Tuesday afternoon ordered to take shelter immediately due to the threat posed by an out-of-control bushfire. Emergency warnings issued shortly after 1 p.m. local time said that the fire near the town of Trawool, 80 km north of Melbourne, was threatening homes and lives.

A separate emergency warning issued shortly before 2 p.m. said that it was too late to leave Trawool and the neighboring towns of Kerrisdale and Tallarook and that residents and visitors must take shelter indoors immediately. "You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive," the warning said. "You must take shelter before the fire arrives.

The extreme heat is likely to kill you well before the flames reach you." Trawool, Kerrisdale and Tallarook had a combined population of around 900 people at the time of the last national census in 2021. Authorities warned on Monday that most of Victoria was facing extreme fire danger on Tuesday, with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius exacerbated by strong winds and dry conditions.