240,000 people are told to evacuate as two of Australia's giant bushfires merge into terrifying mega blaze spanning half a MILLION hectares

[Daily Mail]: Australia urged nearly a quarter of a million people to evacuate their homes on Friday and prepared military backup as two giant bushfires in the south of New South Wales and Victoria merged into a terrifying mega blaze.

Together, the blazes cover half-a-million hectares - about five times the size of Canberra.

The Rural Fire Service forecast extreme danger for the fireground today and warned of 'erratic behaviour' meaning the flames can move and change direction quickly.

Residents in Goobragandra Valley, Brindebella, Mundaroo, Ournie, Mannus and Tooma have been told to keep watch and prepare to evacuate if necessary.

'If you are in the area south of Tumbarumba to Khancoban, and west of the Kosciuszko National Park, you should leave early. Do not be in the path of these fires,' the RFS website says.

As 130 blazes rage in NSW, RFS Commissioner Shayne Fitzsimmons said: 'The conditions are difficult because we'll see hot temperatures, high 30s, low 40s. It's the hot, dry winds that will prove once again to be the real challenge.'...<<<Read The Full Article Here>>>...