Australia: Bushfire Incidence Rises As Heat Wave Worsens

• Firefighters have reported battling 10-15m (49ft) high flames

• Dry thunderstorms are deemed possible across eastern NSW, which could spark new fires

• The hot and dry conditions are expected to last until Wednesday

Eko Hot Blog reports that Dozens of bushfires burning across Australia’s east coast could get worse as a severe heatwave continues, fire services have warned.

EDITOR’S PICKS

• Weekly Gist With Annie: My Love-hate Experience At NYSC Camp

• India: Disruption Arises During G20 Peace Talk

• Japan: Controversies Rise Over PM’s LGBTQ Comments

After two years of rains and floods, a return to warmer conditions has sparked the country’s worst fires since the 2019/2020 “Black Summer” season.

A blaze 250km (155 miles) north-west of Sydney triggered the region’s first emergency fire warning in two years.

Firefighters reported battling 10-15m (49ft) high flames.

Residents in affected areas across New South Wales state – Australia’s most populous – have been urged to evacuate, and there are reports of damage to some properties.

Temperatures in some parts of the state also hit 40C (104F) on Monday, for the first time since January 2021.

On Tuesday, 33 fires were still burning across the state, 10 of which were not under control, fire authorities said.

The NSW Rural Fire Service said strong winds had driven the fires’ rapid spread.

“It’s going to be another tough day for firefighters and potentially even into tomorrow before we get some reprieve,” RFS Commissioner Rob Rogers told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (Bom) also warned that dry thunderstorms were possible across eastern NSW, which could spark new fires.

RFS Inspector Ben Shepherd told the BBC a number of other fires in western NSW were “likely to be problematic”.

The hot and dry conditions are expected to last until Wednesday.

Eastern Australia has experienced three consecutive summers of La Niña conditions, with above-average rainfall causing widespread flooding.

In 2022, Sydney recorded its wettest year since records began.

But last week, the Bom said its models suggested La Niña was “likely near its end”, with a return to neutral conditions or even the hot and dry El Niño phenomenon, likely in the southern hemisphere’s autumn.

FURTHER READING

• US: Winter Storm Surges In California

• Greece: Death Toll Rises From Train Crash

• Everything You Need To Know About Alex Murdaugh Murder Trial

At least 33 people and an estimated 3 billion animals and birds died in 2019-20 Black Summer fires, one of Australia’s worst-ever natural disasters.

Source: BBC

Click to watch our video of the week:

---

Advertise or Publish a Story on EkoHot Blog:

Kindly contact us at [email protected]. Breaking stories should be sent to the above email and substantiated with pictorial evidence.

Citizen journalists will receive a token as data incentive.

Call or Whatsapp: 0803 561 7233, 0703 414 5611