Disasters & Accidents

Over 30 bushfires rage in Australia amid heat wave

Sydney, Australia, Mar 7 (EFE).- Firefighters in Australia on Tuesday were battling over 30 fires, of which a dozen are burning uncontrollably, in several parts of the east of the country, which is also experiencing hot, dry and windy conditions.

“Some of these (fires) are burning in remote terrains requiring speciality Remote Area Firefighting Teams (RAFT) and support from aircraft,” the New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service said on Twitter.

Most of the fires are burning in New South Wales, Australia’s most populated region.

One of the fires causing the most concern is that of Tambaroora, located more than 190 kilometers (118 miles) west of Sydney.

Authorities fear that this fire, which has spread over an area of more than 21 square kilometers (8 square miles), threatens some 50 neighboring properties if it advances amid rising temperatures and windy conditions.

Two other fires of concern are near the city of Dubbo, 330 kilometers northwest of Sydney, and on Grove Rd, about 300 kilometers west of the New South Wales capital.

“It’s going to be another tough day for firefighters and potentially even into tomorrow before we get some reprieve”, NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Rob Rogers told public broadcaster ABC on Tuesday.

The fires come amid a heat wave, which raised temperatures in Sydney to 40 degrees Celsius, the highest in two years.

Although no rain has been forecast, weather conditions are expected to improve on Thursday.

The bushfires in New South Wales occur after two straight years of flooding caused by the La Niña phenomenon, which brought a drop in temperatures to this region, as well as heavy and continuous rains. Drier conditions are expected this year.

Devastating bushfires in the Australian east coast between September 2019 and March 2020, dubbed the “Black Summer”, killed 33 people, including six firefighters, destroyed some 3,000 homes and razed 24 million hectares of land.

The fire season in Australia varies by area and weather conditions, although they are generally recorded in the southern summer, between December and March. EFE

wat/pd

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