Thousands get stuck in traffic jams caused by roads blocked by forest fires • It may be the biggest evacuation in the country's history • PM: "Stay calm"

• Wolby in the heart of the devastation caused by Australia's fires // Photo: Reuters

• Australia fires // Photo: AFP

• Giant evacuees in Australia's fires // Photo: AFP

Tens of thousands of people remain stranded in huge traffic jams Thursday after authorities in Australia ordered the removal of huge tracts of land on the country's southeast coast.

The mass evacuation of settlements in the states of New South Wales and Victoria is the second largest evacuation in Australian history, following the evacuation of Darwin City following the 1974 cyclone Tracy.

Thousands of evacuees got stuck on the road as fires blocked escape routes. Some of the evacuees have been waiting for over ten hours and the army has arrived to provide them with water and food.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called on the captors to exaggerate and dismiss claims that his government is not doing enough to cope with the situation and is not responding to climate change.

"I know that many of you have kids in cars and the anxiety and stress from the traffic jams and fires keep you moving quickly but remember that the best thing to do is to be patient," Morrison said.

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Authorities in the state of Victoria today said there was a serious concern for the lives of at least 17 missing persons and urged residents in affected areas to evacuate their homes immediately.

Over 20 localities and towns have been isolated by the wildfires in the woods and woods of the State of Victoria and the State of New South Wales. The state fears that the water supply to some 4,000 people in the besieged communities will run out.

In New Zealand, air pollution has been reported on the western coast of the country, following the huge amount of smoke generated by the huge fires in Australia. Authorities in the state have warned against exercising outdoors.