Aussies face dangerous day
High temperatures, strong winds forecast for three fire-ravaged states
AUSTRALIA is expecting a dangerous bushfire day due to high temperatures and strong winds in the blaze-ravaged states of Victoria, New South Wales (NSW), and South Australia today, officials have said.
Victoria, in the country’s southeast, yesterday extended its “state of disaster” ahead of “significant fire activity” forecast for the next two days.
The declaration, a first for Australia’s second-most populous state, gives state authorities and emergency services additional powers to mobilise resources and evacuate people.
It covers East Gippsland and the state’s north-east, which have been badly hit by the bushfires. The authorities have asked residents in those fire zones to leave as temperatures as high as 40°C today, along with windy conditions and dry lightning, are likely to exacerbate the current bushfires and possibly ignite new ones.
Several evacuation centres have been set up in Melbourne’s suburb of
Hasting and other places. There is also fear that a large fire in north Victoria could merge with another in southern NSW to create a “mega blaze”.
State Premier Daniel Andrews said yesterday there was likely to be “a significant increase in bushfire activity over the next 48 hours.”
The authorities said 40 fires were burning across the state yesterday evening, covering much of the state’s east. More than 1.25 million hectares of land have already burned in Victoria and at least 244 homes have been destroyed. Three people have died.
Meanwhile, in the bushfire-stricken town of Mallacoota, where more than 1000 people were evacuated, a last-minute delivery of 3000 litres of beer was being organised to be delivered yesterday by the Australian Navy along with other supplies, according to Australian news agency AAP.
“After what Mallacoota residents and firefighters have been through, the least we could do is make sure they could enjoy a beer,” said Peter Filipovic, chief executive of Carlton & United Breweries.
Along with beer, the navy ship HMAS Choules is returning to the town with supplies of food, fuel and power.
In South Australia, the authorities have called for evacuations of Vivonne Bay and Parndana after declaring an emergency due to out-of-control bushfires.
“Firefighting operations will continue for some days on the island,” the state’s Country Fire Service said.
“All areas in the vicinity of the fire zones on Kangaroo Island are considered to be dangerous to people and we urge them to keep out of harm’s way and heed the warnings.”
Two people died and an estimated 25000 koalas, in fires on Kangaroo Island, a popular tourist destination, last week.
In worst-hit NSW, officials said yesterday that almost 1900 homes had been destroyed this fire season. The state is preparing for elevated danger today with evacuation of several towns.
A water-bombing helicopter ditched into a dam near the Bega Valley on the South Coast, which has seen massive bushfires since Christmas, the state fire agency confirmed. The pilot escaped with no serious injury.
The NSW state government also announced one billion dollars (R14bn) to help rebuild bushfire-ravaged communities. It comes on top of more than $200 million already committed by the state government and $2bn national funding by the federal government.
Australian billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, chairperson of Fortescue Metals, is the latest person to donate millions of dollars for bushfire relief after he announced yesterday that he would donate $70m to the bushfire recovery effort, including establishing a “volunteer army” to help rebuild destroyed towns.