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

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

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.

“I understand the anxiety this announcement will cause, especially for those who lived through the 2003 bushfires,” he said.

“This is the first time a state of emergency has been declared since that tragic event.”

Mr Barr said that one of “the many lessons” learned from the 2003 fires was “the need for early, clear, and effective communication with the community on the risks ahead, allowing people to plan and make decisions on whether they’ll stay or when they will go”.

Mr Barr made the emergency declaration with temperatures set to rise over the weekend, giving residents time to put bushfire plans into action and amid fears fire resources will be insufficient.

“The combination of extreme heat, wind and a dry landscape will place suburbs at Canberra’s south at risk in coming days,” he said.

The out-of-control fire had already burnt 8 per cent of the ACT by Friday afternoon.