Residents of three Melbourne suburbs were told it was too late to leave. A volunteer firefighter in the eastern state of New South Wales also died Monday amid the blazes.

An emergency warning was issued in three northern suburbs of Melbourne as fires continue to burn across the Australian states of Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania.

Residents of Bundoora, Greensborough and Mill Park were told that it was too late to leave, and instead to “take shelter indoors” after the warning was sent out this afternoon around 3.20pm local time.

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East Gippsland, a region in the far northeastern corner of Victoria, was projected to be the hardest hit by Monday’s blazes. The area is home to about 80,000 residents and is a popular area for outdoor tourism.