Emergency warning issued over bushfire in southeast Australia amid heatwave

SYDNEY, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- An emergency warning has been issued for a bushfire burning west of Melbourne in Australia's second-most populous state.

Emergency services on Monday evening urged residents of the small towns of Creswick and Dean, approximately 100 km west of Melbourne, to immediately evacuate the area due to the threat posed by an out-of-control bushfire.

"Leaving immediately is the safest op