Experts have expressed concerns over the survival of endangered species on the island, Saving Kangaroo Island's animal casualties, Bushfires bring 'apocalypse' to Kangaroo Island, In pictures: Latest from the Australian bushfires. image copyright EPA. "A positive IOD means we have cooler than average water pooling off Indonesia, and this means we see less rain-bearing weather systems, and warmer than average temperatures for large parts of the country.". Two people and an estimated 25,000 koalas were killed when flames devastated Kangaroo Island in the state of South Australia on 9 January. Ecologists feared the island’s … South Asia. Large parts of Australia have been devastated by the worst wildfires the country has seen in decades, with huge blazes tearing through bush, woodland and national parks. Military aircraft and navy cruisers are also being used alongside Australian fire service kit. Fire crews across the country have been joined by 3,000 army, navy and air force reservists who are assisting with search and rescue and clean-up efforts. A visual guide to Australia's bushfire crisis. Maps and pictures of Australia's unprecedented bushfires have spread widely on social media. The border closures outside New … What are the Australian authorities doing to stop the fires and could anything have been done to prevent them? The fight that changed the world forever. © 2021 BBC. Data shows that Australia has warmed overall by slightly more than one degree Celsius since 1910, with most of the heating occurring since 1950, the Bureau of Meteorology says. On the ground, teams are also using firefighting trucks and "heavy plant" equipment, such as bulldozers and excavators, in order to move earth, clear areas of debris and create "firebreaks" - gaps in vegetation that help slow the advance of flames. The BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney said police suspect that in at least one case fires have been restarted by arsonists after being extinguished by firefighters. But the prime minister is being urged to do more to cut Australia's carbon emissions and tackle climate change, which is seeing the country's average temperatures rise. Australia fires: 'Incredible' signs of life return to burned bush Australia's bushfires have burnt through 10 million hectares of land, and it is feared some habitats may never recover. But the NSW Rural Fire Service says it expects most of the flames to spread south east. Almost 30 homes were destroyed in the Gippsland region of Victoria, after the state experienced its worst heatwave in 100 years. close. Australia's deadliest bushfire disaster was "Black Saturday" in February 2009, when some 180 people died in Victoria. The island is renowned for its unique mix of animal species - and there are fears it may never recover. On the first day of an inquiry into the February fires, Country Fire Authority chief Russell Rees said, "as best as possible", the warnings were adequate. An Australian man says he was able to survive a late-night house fire after his pet parrot roused him from bed. Previous fire tragedies in Australia … Entertainment. At least 30 people have died. In the worst-hit state, New South Wales (NSW), fire has affected more than five million hectares, destroying more than 2,000 houses and forcing thousands to seek shelter elsewhere. Dairy Farmers Australia, an industry body, says around 70 dairy farms have been hit in this year's fires, including 20-25 each in New South Wales and Victoria, and maybe 12 in South Australia… The clouds can also develop dangerous weather systems of their own. AudioLittle Mix's ultimate feel good playlist, Newscast has a night at the Oprah. Europe. Australian politics live with Amy Remeikis Chief confident tournament will go ahead despite new threat, more vaccines on order – as it happened Published: 4 Feb 2021 Ben Shepherd, from the service, said his colleagues had dealt with 4.2m hectares of burning land this season, compared with the typical 300,000 hectares. Get the latest BBC World News: international news, features and analysis from Africa, the Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, South Asia, and the United States and Canada. Australia Shows Us the Road to Hell: The New York Times columnist Paul Krugman finds the political reaction scarier than the fires. That figures includes 2,306 claims, worth an estimated A$182.6m, from fires on the New South Wales Mid-North Coast and Queensland. Related BBC sites. Health. Officials lost contact with a C-130 Hercules water-bombing plane on Thursday as it crashed in the Snowy Mountains in the state of New South Wales (NSW). Hot and windy conditions are forecast to return this week. About sharing. Australia is fighting an unprecedented bushfire season, fuelled by record temperatures and widespread drought. Large parts of Australia have been devastated by the worst wildfires the country has seen in decades, with huge blazes tearing through bush, woodland and national parks. Record-breaking temperatures and months of drought have helped the fires burn an estimated 10 million hectares (100,000 sq km) of land since 1 July. When fires have been at their worst, about 2,700 firefighters have been battling blazes at any one time in NSW. Australia fire fear shuts schools Firefighters are prepared for worsening conditions More than 200 schools have been closed in south-eastern Australia as the government warned of an intensified fire risk ahead of the weekend. The State of Emergency declared in Canberra gives extra power and resources to fire authorities, allowing them to force evacuations if necessary. The difference between the two temperatures is currently the strongest in 60 years. Australia broke its all-time temperature record twice in December. AudioNewscast has a night at the Oprah. Skies turned blood red above parts of southeast Australia on Sunday as residents sought refuge from deadly bushfires, and a senior firefighter described the … Record-breaking temperatures and months of severe drought have fuelled a series of massive bushfires across Australia. Three people - including one firefighter - have died as a result of the fires. He has also promised A$2bn ($1.4bn; £1.1bn) in aid to help the country recover. Sorry, your browser cannot display this map. UK. Once fires have started, other areas are at risk, with embers blown by the wind causing blazes to spread to new areas. Hot and windy conditions are forecast to return to many parts of New South Wales this weekend and authorities in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) have declared a state of emergency as massive bushfires rage south of Canberra. Read about our approach to external linking. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Australia fires: Debunking 'arson emergency' claims The past week has seen a surge of claims on social media that arson is to blame for most of Australia's massive bushfires. They include helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and larger air-tankers, most of which can be used to "firebomb" water onto fires or drop retardant from the sky above. Australian PM under fire for interrupting female minister . Satellite images from 4 January showed the spread of smoke from fires in Victoria and NSW, which has affected air quality as far away as New Zealand. That comes on top of a long period of drought. A very simple guide to the Australia fires. The military has sent troops, ships and aircraft to the region to help relocation and firefighting efforts. Videos posted on social media showed efforts to rescue koalas which survived the blazes. Not all heroes wear cape [ Source : https://t.co/1BhjupuCYC ] pic.twitter.com/OfnbAvI4pM. And meteorologists warn that, for the moment, the intense weather and elevated fire risk in Australia is set to continue. Many Australians are asking that very question - but the science is complicated. On Friday, the worst blaze was just south of the district of Tuggeranong, a 20-minute drive south of Parliament House. The conditions were caused by a climate phenomenon called a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which was unusually strong, a rare Sudden Stratospheric Warming event, which pushed weather systems northward, as well as climate change, the bureau said. Australian fire officials have been defending warnings given to the public ahead of the deadliest bushfires in the country's history. Entire towns have been engulfed and residents across several states have lost their homes. Bushfire dilemma: Flee or fight? NSW Rural Fire Service says it has more than 750 vehicles on the ground when fires are at their worst. Published 11 November 2020. Americas . As a result, there has been higher-than-average rainfall and floods in eastern Africa and droughts in south-east Asia and Australia. Prime Minister Scott Morrison also committed $14m to leasing firefighting aircraft from overseas. Read about our approach to external linking. The main climate driver behind the heat has been a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) - an event where sea surface temperatures are warmer in the western half of the ocean, cooler in the east. "It's been an incredibly long campaign," he said. Country Profiles. At least 33 people have been killed - including four firefighters - and more than 11 million hectares (110,000 sq km or 27.2 million acres) of bush, forest and parks across Australia has burned. "The key culprit of our current and expected conditions is one of the strongest positive Indian Ocean dipole events on record," he says. AudioThe fight that changed the world forever, Little Mix's ultimate feel good playlist. “The fires have been a constant presence in Australia for weeks,” wrote Isabella Kwai for The New York Times. Technology. Could 'controlled burning' stop Australian fires? Elsewhere in South Australia, the Cudlee Creek fire is reported to have destroyed more than 80 homes in the Adelaide Hills region in late December. More than 1,600 firefighters are currently working to slow the spread of fires and shore up containment lines, the NSW Rural Fire Service says. a rare Sudden Stratospheric Warming event. The Australian government has said it will remove bureaucratic hurdles that have prevented the creation of a nationwide fire alert system. BBC News Updated every minute of every day. Asia-Pacific. The amount of land affected across the country - more than 10 million hectares - is now comparable to England's land area of 13 million hectares. But task of quelling the flames has been a dangerous one, with four firefighters and three US crew members of an air tanker losing their lives. Audio, Little Mix's ultimate feel good playlist. Picture: Supplied Source:Supplied “Scientists and experts warn that Australia’s fire … The fight that changed the world forever. Last year's annual mean temperature was 1.52 degrees Celsius above the 1961-1990 average of 21.8C - higher than the previous record of 1.33 degrees Celsius in 2013. The latest figures from Australia's Bureau of Meteorology show 2019 was the country's hottest and driest year on record. By Leigh Tonkin, Catherine Taylor and Bridget Judd. Read about our approach to external linking. Bushfires destroyed almost half the bushland on Australia’s Kangaroo Island last summer, devastating animal habitats. Scientists have long warned that a hotter, drier climate will contribute to fires becoming more frequent and more intense. Share. New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees said arsonists faced a maximum 25 years' jail. While they have managed to contain some within a matter of days, the biggest blazes have been burning for months. BBC News Special Reports: Australia Fires, in-depth coverage and analysis with an interactive map plus audio and video. An average maximum of 40.9C was recorded on 17 December, broken a day later by 41.9C, both beating 2013's record of 40.3C. But there have been warnings of Australia's increased levels of fire risk since 1988 - and a 2007 report by Australia's federal science agency predicted more intense fires would be seen by 2020, says Dr Tim Curran, senior lecturer in ecology at Lincoln University in New Zealand. In Pictures. The prime minister - a keen supporter of the country's coal industry - has faced fierce criticism over his apparent failure to anticipate the crisis, his slow response to the disaster and his reluctance to accept a link between the bushfires and climate change. If there is a serious risk of fire reaching homes or properties, authorities urge people to leave in good time as fire can travel fast - faster than most people can run. What's Australia doing to fight the bushfires? Some blazes are still burning in the state and there are emergency warnings are in place. Have Your Say. Special Reports. Also in the news-----Video and Audio-----Programmes. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Business. But in recent days, more than 1,100 firefighters have been on the ground, the NSW Rural Fire Service says. Further support has come from the US, Canada, and New Zealand, who have sent additional teams and equipment to help. Australian states and territories have begun enforcing entry bans on Sydney residents amid a growing coronavirus outbreak in the nation's largest city. Science & Environment. Although recent cooler conditions and rain have brought some respite, more than 50 fires are still burning in the states of New South Wales and Victoria. Although Australia has always had bushfires, this season has been worse than usual. Africa. Australia to rethink fire policy Should bushfire policy change? … more than 500 aircraft are available for firefighting across Australia. Audio. Middle East. Thousands of firefighters are still battling blazes across Australia - ranging in size from small fires to infernos burning across hectares of land. Fears are growing that the rising temperatures and strong winds could make the fire uncontrollable. Almost 2,000 houses have been destroyed in Australia's months-long bushfire crisis, officials say, as crews prepare frantically for worsening conditions. Copy link. The number of people killed as a result of the fires since September 2019 is higher than in recent years. Bush fires themselves can also drive thunderstorms, increasing the risk of lightning strikes and further fires. Most have been in the worst-hit states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria. The cause of the crash is not yet known. Elsewhere in South Australia, the Cudlee Creek fire is reported to have destroyed more than 80 homes in the Adelaide Hills region in late December. Read about our approach to external linking. Australia wildfires are paving the way for 'fire clouds': Here's what to know. This year, Australia twice set a new temperature record: an average maximum of 41.9C was recorded on 18 December. Subscribe to BBC News www.youtube.com/bbcnews Images from NASA's Aqua satellite show the scale of the bushfires burning through New South Wales, Australia. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. This effect increases over time, but should be directly observable by 2020. Fire crews are using a combination of aircraft and land-based equipment to fight the fires. Sorry, your browser cannot display this map. In-depth analysis, business, sport, weather and more. One-Minute World News News Front Page. Australia is being ravaged by the worst wildfires seen in decades, with large swaths of the country devastated since the fire season began in July. BBC News reported on the fire reaching the outskirts of Sydney. In response, the Australian leader has expressed regret over his handling of the crisis and said he would seek a royal commission review - a type of public inquiry - into the country's response. Humans are sometimes to blame for starting the fires, but they are also often sparked by natural causes, such as lightning striking dry vegetation. The scale and intensity of this year's fires and the fact they are now more likely to become a common phenomenon means the Australian authorities may well have to take further steps to prepare in future years. Share page. Recent projections of fire weather (Lucas, et al., 2007) suggest that fire seasons will start earlier, end slightly later, and generally be more intense. Australia fires photos show startling before and after destruction . "We will throw the book at you if you are caught," he was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency. © 2021 BBC. Tens of thousands of farm animals, mainly sheep, were also killed in the fire on the island. On Tuesday, New South Wales (NSW) officials said fires … NSW Rural Fire Service says it has about 100 aircraft in the skies every day when the fires are bad, while Victoria Country Fire Authority says it has more than 60. By the end of the month every state had measured temperatures above 40C - including Tasmania, which is usually much cooler than the mainland. Andrew Watkins, head of long-range forecasts at the bureau, said the dipole was crucial to understanding the heatwave. Canberra has seen some of the worst smoke pollution, with air quality rated the third worst of all major global cities on 3 January, according to Swiss-based group AirVisual. Overall, more than 500 aircraft are available for firefighting across Australia, according to the National Aerial Firefighting Centre, which has its own fleet of about 130 aircraft ready to help boost a state's response when required. Police in Australia believe that arsonists were to blame for some of the fires which have caused destruction in the south-east of the country. Fires are also thought to have destroyed up to a third of the vines that provide grapes for the Adelaide Hills wine industry. Australia's state of the climate report, published last year, warned that warming temperatures meant there had been a "long-term increase in extreme fire weather" as well as an extension in the "length of the fire season". At least 3,700 firefighters have been on the ground at any one time across the country during the worst periods, according to the country's state fire services. Experts have expressed concerns over the survival of endangered species on the island which include the dunnart - a mouse-like marsupial - and the black glossy cockatoo. Professor Dale Dominey-Howes, director of the Asia-Pacific Natural Hazards and Disaster Risk Research Group at the University of Sydney, argues the current bushfire crisis - and the fact it is affecting multiple states and territories simultaneously - represented a "new normal" and the government needed to act. "We need new approaches to disaster management - a professional paid workforce, capable of round the clock, round the year and around the country deployment, capable of responding to multiple disaster types," he says. Trusted and independent source of local, national and world news. Over the last few months, state and federal authorities have been working together to try to stem the spread of the fires. Victoria, where fires have burned 1.2 million hectares, extended a "state of disaster" for the worst-hit areas from 2 to 11 January. The Garnaut Climate Change Review of 2008 stated:. Fire potential. Although recent cooler conditions and rain have brought some respite to operations, more than 80 fires are still burning in NSW. Many parts of Australia have been in drought conditions, some for years, which has made it easier for the fires to spread and grow. Fires have raged near the Australian capital Canberra for weeks - at one stage shutting the city's airport as flames approached the perimeter. Mr Morrison was forced to apologise for going on a family holiday to Hawaii last month as the crisis escalated and he has been heckled by locals in NSW and Victoria.
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