Bushfires
“Catastrophic fire danger” in southeast Australia
Firefighters continue to battle a major bushfire in western Victoria. photo
© David Crosling/NEWS CORP POOL via AAP/dpa
Tens of thousands are expected to flee bushfires in the Australian state of Victoria. And the worst is apparently still to come.
Severe bushfires have been blazing in the southeast for days Australia. But the worst is apparently still to come: extreme heat coupled with strong winds could lead to “catastrophic conditions” in the next few days, the AAP news agency wrote on Tuesday, citing the authorities. There is particular danger in the Wimmera region west of Melbourne and in five other regions of the state of Victoria, where there is severe drought.
In some cases temperatures well over 40 degrees were expected. Tens of thousands of residents should, if possible, get to safety by Wednesday morning (local time) at the latest. “I would leave no later than lunchtime as the weather conditions get pretty bad after 12 p.m.,” said local fire chief Jason Heffernan.
The severe fire around the city of Ballarat, which has been raging for days, is still not under control. More than 20,000 hectares of land and six houses have already fallen victim to the flames.
Schools and national parks remain closed
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said it was “probably one of the most dangerous days Victoria has experienced in recent years”. As a precaution, almost 100 schools and kindergartens will remain closed tomorrow. Three national parks were also closed to visitors as a precautionary measure, including Grampians National Park, which is popular for its beautiful landscapes and rugged mountains. More than 60 firefighting aircraft were ready.
The 9News channel reported that the region was facing the worst fires since the devastating “black summer” of 2019-2020. At that time, weeks of bushfires devastated more than twelve million hectares of land, and countless animals were injured, killed or driven from their habitats.
Meanwhile, a bushfire also got out of control in the west Down Under. Residents of the small town of Australind, south of Perth, were urged to seek safety. The situation was life-threatening, the newspaper “The West Australian” quoted the emergency services as saying. Around 20,000 people live in the affected region. Firefighters fought the flames on the ground and from the air.