A state of emergency was declared on Friday in the Canberra region of Australia as fires now rage over roughly 8% of the landmass there, CNN reported.Canberra is Australia’s capital. The fires now place its southern suburbs at risk, the territory's Chief Minister Andrew Barr said.
"The combination of extreme heat, wind and dry landscape will place suburbs in Canberra's south at risk in the coming days," he said.
Hot weather is expected during the weekend and the public was urged to “complete their Bushfire Survival Plan,” the ACT government said.