State of emergency declares in Australian Capital Territory as bushfire threat increases

Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Chief Minister Andrew Barr on Friday declared a statement of emergency in the region, saying that the capital is facing the worst bushfire threat since the devastating fires of 2003, local media reported.

"The combination of extreme heat, wind, and a dry landscape will place suburbs in Canberra's south at risk... This fire may become very unpredictable. It may become uncontrollable," Barr said, as cited by The Sydney Morning Herald.

Fires have wreaked havoc in parts of Australia for months and have got worse in the past few weeks, given that the temperatures in the country typically peak in January and February.

More than 30 people and an estimated one billion animals have been killed and thousands of homes have been destroyed since September, last year.