Dozens of bush fires rage through eastern Australia
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The town of Millmerran lost one house and four sheds in a fire which has burned through 3,000ha.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SYDNEY – Hundreds of firefighters battled bush fires in Australia’s eastern state of Queensland on Wednesday, where soaring temperatures and dry winds have fanned some of the most dangerous conditions in years.
One of the worst-affected areas was the state’s Western Downs, an important agricultural and fruit-growing region about four hours’ drive west of the state capital Brisbane.
Around 350 people spent Tuesday night in council-run evacuation centres, said the fire service’s acting chief superintendent Warren Buckley.
One out-of-control fire has burned through more than 11,000ha and claimed four homes and one shed so far, he added.
“I’m not going to mince my words – it’s a dangerous fire,” Mr Buckley said.
Temperatures in the area reached 42 deg C on Wednesday – significantly higher than monthly averages – with Mr Buckley describing conditions as “very uncomfortable” for firefighters.
In September, the national weather bureau confirmed that an El Nino weather pattern was under way
Australia is facing its most intense bush-fire season since 2019-2020, when a series of out-of-control infernos raged across the eastern seaboard – razing swathes of forest, killing millions of animals and blanketing cities in noxious smoke.
Police found a body on Tuesday night near the rural town of Tara, although they have not yet confirmed whether the death was related to the fires.
The main blaze was still about 15km from Tara township, but the authorities have already warned residents in neighbouring rural areas to leave.
“This is going to go on for a long time,” Mr Buckley said of the fire season.
“We’re planning for it to go on past Christmas and into early next year. It will be a long campaign until we get some rain.”
Millmerran, a town almost two hours south-east of Tara, lost one house and four sheds in a separate fire, which has burned through 3,000ha.
A supplied image shows Queensland Fire and Emergency Services ground crews responding to a fire in Millmerran, Queensland, on Oct 23.
PHOTO: REUTERS
In the neighbouring state of New South Wales, firefighters are battling around 70 fires, including one west of the town of Kempsey which has scorched nearly 30,000ha of land.
The El Nino phenomenon – which warms waters in the southern Pacific and stokes hotter weather beyond – is likely to contribute to 2023 becoming the hottest year on record
Researchers have repeatedly warned that climate change amplifies the risk of natural disasters such as bush fires, floods and cyclones. AFP
