Firefighters are battling a massive wildfire in Victoria, Australia that has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people amid some of the worst fire conditions the country has seen in years.

Hot, dry conditions and strong winds have created “extreme to catastrophic fire risks” in parts of Victoria and South Australia, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

Strong thunderstorms are also forecast for the area, which in turn causes an increased risk for dry lightning.

About 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate parts of Victoria before noon Wednesday, according to CNN.

Firefighters are battling the blaze that started last Thursday in the rural town of Bayindeen, about 190 kilometers (118 miles) west of Melbourne, and has not yet been brought under control, according to the state’s emergency department.

Six homes have already been destroyed and authorities fear the winds and dry conditions could push the flames closer to residential areas.

More than 100 state forests have been closed, the Victorian Bushfire Authority said on social media platform X. Dozens of schools and childcare centers have also been closed.

The fires come more than four years after bushfires ravaged large swaths of south-east Australia, killing 33 nationally, in what was dubbed the Black Summer fires of 2019 to 2020.

The state of Victoria was hit hard by the devastating fires in 2019 to 2020 which raged for more than 90 days and burned more than 1.5 million hectares of land. Also, more than 400 houses were destroyed and 6,800 animals were killed.