About 70 firefighters and 13 aircraft have been battling a bush and grass fire that has destroyed at least one rural property and burnt out more than 2,400 hectares of farmland near Tarago, to the north-east of Canberra.
The ABC reported the fire front was 18km long on Tuesday afternoon and one rural property at Hazeldell Road had been lost, as well as a number of sheds and cars.
An emergency warning had been issued for homes near Mount Fairy Road, Hazeldell Road, Barnet Drive and Goulburn Road, with residents in the vicinity of Boro Road sent emergency alert phone warnings.
The ABC said the fire had crossed the Bungendore Road, Mount Fairy Road and Goulburn Road, and the fire front was impacting Hazeldell Road and Barnet Drive and moving in an easterly direction towards Boro Road.
DC10 and a Hercules air tankers were flown in to help fight the blaze.
Firefighters also battled more than 40 fires across Victoria as the state sweltered through its hottest day this year. While the majority of blazes were small grass fires, shifting winds did fan fires close to populated areas.
Six cars were destroyed at a shopping centre car park in Taylors Lakes after 5pm on Tuesday but firefighters were able to get it under control in about 30 minutes. The cause of the fire is being investigated, the MFB said in a statement.
Numerous crews also had to battle an out of control grass fire in Minimay near the South Australian border, which spread quickly, burning about 250ha before being contained.
“A quick response in the early stages helped to keep small fires small,” a state control centre spokeswoman said.
Total fire bans were in place in the Mallee, Wimmera and North Central districts, while the rest of the state had a very high rating.
Australian Associated Press contributed to this report
