Evacuations in Australia as bushfires rage
Print Edition
AUSTRALIAN authorities ordered the evacuation of some sparsely populated rural areas of New South Wales yesterday as bushfires, fanned by extreme heat and strong winds, raged across the state, threatening homes and closing roads.
A heatwave on Australia’s east coast saw temperatures hit records in some parts of the state, creating conditions officials said were worse than those preceding Victoria’s 2009 “Black Saturday” fires that killed 173 people.
“This is the worst day we have seen in the history of New South Wales when it comes to fire danger ratings and fire conditions,” Shane Fitzsimmons, the state’s rural fire chief, told reporters.
The areas hit by fires are hundreds of kilometers from Sydney, the state capital.
Fitzsimmons said there were unconfirmed reports of homes, farm sheds and machinery being destroyed by fast-moving fires breaking containment lines.
There were no reports of injuries, but some firefighters were suffering from heat-related issues.
By yesterday afternoon, emergency warnings had been issued for five rural areas. People were told to leave if they could, or seek shelter and avoid bush or grassland.
More than 2,000 firefighters, many of them volunteers, were battling 86 fires across New South Wales, 38 of them out of control.
A 13-year-old boy and a 40-year-old man have been charged with starting fires.
Temperatures climbed above 45 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country. Dry and hot northwesterly winds coming from central Australia, some up to 75 kilometers an hour, were fanning the flames.
However, a southerly wind change associated with a cold front is forecast.
Since last Friday, heatwave conditions have caused the cancelation of major sporting events and put pressure on the electricity grid.
A paper mill, water treatment operations and Australia’s largest aluminum smelter, Tomago, are among businesses that have suspended operations to conserve energy.
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