Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes, and three people are missing amid an ongoing bushfire crisis in the southeast Australian state of Victoria.

Authorities said that there were 30 active bushfires burning across Victoria as of today and that they are expected to be fast-moving due to catastrophic conditions, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius exacerbated by strong winds.

Multiple homes have been destroyed in the central Victorian town of Ruffy. A catastrophic fire danger rating has been declared for four regions in Victoria, marking the first time that the highest-level rating has been declared for multiple Victorian regions on one day since 2019.