Melbourne: Australian authorities on Thursday declared a state of emergency and forced evacuation of residents, tourists and closure of roads in the states of New South Wales and Victoria ahead of Saturday's forecast of "horrible" fire conditions due to the intensified heat wave.

Catastrophic blazes ripped through the country's south-east on New Year's eve, killing at least eight people and stranding holidaymakers. One man was confirmed dead and there are ''grave concerns" regarding 17 people who are still missing in Victoria while in NSW, seven people were confirmed dead.