Some Australian in path of bushfires told it is too late to evacuate

Emergency warnings for bushfires have been issued across parts of Australia – with some locals being urged to take shelter indoors because it is now too late to evacuate.

Officials have said the state of Victoria has seen a “challenging day”. Temperatures were forecast to exceed 40C in Melbourne, and locals are being warned that there is “a long way to go” before conditions return to normal.

On Sunday, an estimated 30,000 holidaymakers were urged to evacuate East Gippsland – a popular Australian tourist hotspot that is roughly half the size of Belgium and home to 45,000 people.

But Mayor John White told ABC News that many “a lot of holidaymakers” decided to ignore the warning and stay put, and there has been “no mass exodus” despite strongly worded pleas from officials.

Read more via ABC News