Early Outbreak of Bushfires in Southeastern Australia Brings “Catastrophic” Conditions

Bushfires are currently burning across Australia, with the most severe in the southeastern states of New South Wales and Queensland. In those two states, bushfires have killed three people and destroyed more than 150 homes. Bushfires are a common threat during Australia’s hot, dry summers. But the summer hasn’t even technically begun, and yet this year’s outbreak has already been particularly severe. More than 1 million hectares (3,800 square miles) of forest and farmland have already burned across New South Wales this year, three times greater than the area burned last season. All of New South Wales – an area bigger than Texas – has been placed under a state of emergency through next weekend. New South Wales includes Australia’s most populous city, Sydney, which is home to more than 5 million people. The city is ringed by large areas of bushland, much of which remains tinder dry following little rain across the country’s east coast in recent months. Authorities have urged residents in high risk areas to evacuate ahead of looming “catastrophic” fire conditions. And with the summer months ahead, they’ve warned that the bushfire danger is likely to continue. Shane Fitzsimmons, the commissioner of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, said, “The real challenge is we have an enormous amount of country that is still alight. They won’t have this out for days, weeks, months. Unfortunately the forecast is nothing but above-average temperatures and below-average rainfall over the next few months and we’ve still got summer around the corner.” WaterISAC’s members include water and wastewater utilities in Australia. Read the articles at The Sydney Morning Herald, Reuters, Weather Underground, The Guardian, and DW.