A fire engine at Bumbalong south of Canberra. Image: AP
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“The fire is growing” – in Canberra it is 42 degrees hot and the flames are approaching
Heavy bush fires continue to threaten the Australian capital Canberra. The so-called Orroral Valley fire came dangerously close to the southern suburbs on Saturday.
“The fire is growing, it can become unpredictable,” warned Prime Minister Andrew Barr. Civil Protection Officer Georgeina Whelan said the fires in turn affected weather conditions. She warned that driving in the area is extremely dangerous.
The authorities had in the capital region proclaimed an emergency on Friday, The flames have already destroyed 35,000 hectares of land there, which corresponds to an area larger than that of the Canton of Schaffhausen. In Canberra and the surrounding area, where summer is now, it is around 42 degrees hot and on top of that windy, which makes the situation even worse. In the state of New South Wales, which surrounds the capital territory on all sides, more than 60 fires are currently burning.
In total, more than 12 million hectares of land (120,000 square kilometers) have been devastated by the fires in Australia since September, about three times the area of Switzerland. At least 33 people were killed.
Heavy rains were reported on Saturday from the southern state of Victoria with the capital Melbourne. However, it only rained in the west and south of Victoria, while it continued to burn in the east. “When it comes to the weather, it’s really a story of two states,” said Victoria Crisis Officer Andrew Crisp. (Cbe / SDA / dpa)
