One of the largest evacuations in Australia's history was underway Friday ahead of hot weather and strong winds that are forecast to worsen devastating wildfires raging across the country.
More than 200 fires were burning, and warnings of extreme danger to come Saturday prompted mass evacuations.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews declared a disaster across much of the eastern part of the state, allowing the government to order evacuations in an area with as many as 140,000 permanent residents and tens of thousands more vacationers.