Dozens upon dozens of early-season fires are devastating Australia. The city of Sydney is also under threat. Fear grows as heat and strong winds take hold.
Australia is in the grip of an exceptional wave of fires. So severe that the government has been compelled to declare a state of emergency in two states. Since last Sunday, firefighters have been put on standby for an event of rare intensity beginning today, Tuesday 12 November, with high temperatures and strong winds.
The blazes have already killed three people and destroyed at least 150 homes. There are at least one hundred active outbreaks across the states of Queensland and New South Wales. Forecasts indicate, however, weather conditions conducive to the spread of the fires, which could go on to threaten the city of Sydney as well as Western Australia — already enveloped in an unbreathable toxic cloud.
Authorities have spoken of the risk of a potentially "catastrophic" situation: "Nothing is built or designed to withstand a situation like this," warned Shane Fitzimmons, head of the New South Wales fire service. The state's premier, Gladys Berejiklian, ordered the closure of 350 schools and called on the army to provide logistical support to firefighters. So far, 1,200 firefighters and 70 aircraft have been deployed along the Pacific coast.
Despite this, 11,000 square kilometres have burned. On today, Tuesday 12 November, the worst-affected area is expected to be the Blue Mountains, to the west of Sydney. But also the Hunter wine valley and the Illawarra region. Around towns such as Rainbow Flat, livestock evacuation is under way.
According to experts, the fires are being caused by climate change, which generates abnormal temperatures, stronger-than-usual winds and waves of . According to Paul Read, an expert at Monash University, the current blazes are "decidedly early compared to normal. And this will worsen once we enter the summer period".
Last January, in fact, the average temperature exceeded 30 degrees across the whole of Australia, setting all-time records: up to 49.5 degrees Celsius. The conservative government is being accused of downplaying the phenomenon and failing to respond to it adequately.
