Warm winds yesterday fanned multiple blazes in an unusually early start to Australia’s annual fire season, prompting a state leader to warn of a “horror” summer of bushfires ahead.
Firefighters said they had been battling 18 out-of-control bushfires in the morning in New South Wales (NSW), some in the Bega Valley region of the state’s southeastern coast.
At least three homes were lost in the flames, NSW firefighters said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
One person was taken to a hospital after a tree fell on a car, state police said.
“Be prepared for a horror summer,” NSW Premier Chris Minns told a news conference in Bega.
“We are one week into October and we are experiencing midsummer conditions,” he said, citing various hot days above 30°C. “Bushfires love this environment and it is devastating for regional communities in particular.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese echoed the sentiment that the fire season had started early — just one month into the Australian spring.
“We are standing here. We can see, we can smell the impact that these fires are having,” he told the news conference.
Firefighters have been saying for some time that they are worried about dry conditions making the season more dangerous, NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Rob Rogers said.
“The fire season is absolutely here, and we need to take this seriously,” he said.
Scattered fires have swept rural neighborhoods around the country over the past few weeks.
On Tuesday, people were told to evacuate various rural areas of Victoria or take shelter as gusty winds fanned “very challenging” bushfires.
About 650 firefighters battled fires across 17,000 hectares, Victoria officials said, although rains later in the day dampened the flames.
The wet weather yesterday led to a flood evacuation warning for parts of several rural neighborhoods about 160km east of Melbourne.
After several wet years, experts are expecting the coming Australian summer to bring the most intense bushfire season since 2019-2020. During that “black summer,” bushfires raged across Australia’s eastern seaboard, razing swaths of forest, killing millions of animals and blanketing cities in smoke.
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