Sydney hits 48.9C as death toll from Oz fires rises to 23
DEATHS from the bush fires raging uncontrollably across Australia rose to 23 yesterday, as Sydney was declared the planet’s hottest place.
The nationwide infernos are generating so much heat they have begun to create their own storms, said fire chiefs.
Temperatures in the Sydney suburb of Penrith hit 48.9C (120F) – the highest ever recorded in the nation’s biggest city.
The capital Canberra was close behind, on 44C (111F), as fire tornadoes and dry lightning sparked yet more conflagrations all over the ravaged country.
Desperate firefighters warned that wind conditions are causing some of the biggest blazes to merge.
Two people were found dead in a car on Kangaroo Island near the southern city of Adelaide, amid what officials called “a virtually unstoppable bush fire”.
Yesterday, the Queen said she was “deeply saddened” to hear of the devastation, adding, “my thanks go out to the emergency services, and those who put their own lives in danger to help communities in need”.
Besides the deaths since the fires started last September, dozens more people are unaccounted for. Millions of animals have also perished.
Heroic teams battling to save lives were warned last night the worst conditions are yet to come.
By yesterday evening the state of Victoria had 16 fires rated at the warning levels of emergency or evacuate. In New South Wales, 12 were classed as emergency, while more than 100 burned across all six states.
Several were newly started. The Australian Capital Territory, which contains Canberra, issued a state of alert. NSW rural fire service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said: “A number of very strong, large, intense blazes are coming together and creating firegenerated thunderstorms.”
The state’s premier Gladys Berejiklian said: “We are in for a long night and are still to hit the worst of it. It’s a very volatile situation.”
The nation’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison, criticised for his response to the fires, called up 3,000 Australian Defence Force reservists yesterday. Three Navy ships have been deployed to rescue residents trapped on a beach since Monday.
The Navy evacuated 1,000 tourists and residents trapped in the fire-ravaged town of Mallacoota on the Victoria coast.
Landing vessels took people on to two ships throughout Friday in what local MP Darren Chester called an “unprecedented mass relocation of civilians”.
The first of the evacuees reached safety yesterday after 20 hours aboard. Fire services were boosted by a donation of half a million dollars from US singer Pink, who tweeted: “I’m devastated. My heart goes out to friends and family in Oz.”
And Kylie Minogue was “humbled by the extraordinary efforts of the emergency services”.
British actress Naomi Watts, who moved to Australia as a teen, said: “My heart goes out to those who’ve lost loved ones and homes. Pray for rain.”