The Australian government wants residents from part of the state of Victoria to leave their homes before Monday due to the approaching forest fires. On Monday temperatures in the country are expected to be above 40 degrees, which, together with strong gusts of flames, will further fuel flames in the area.
Tens of thousands of inhabitants in an area half as large as Belgium have been advised to look for “a safe area” as quickly as possible, according to The Guardian. According to a fire department spokesperson, there are not enough fire extinguishers to protect every home in the region.
The East Gippsland Shire region is expected to have the most problems. Forest fires can become so intense there that the main roads become unreachable. A large festival that was going on in the southwest of the state has been shut down as a precaution.
Victoria borders on the state of New South Wales, the region most affected by forest fires. Water shortages are now threatening there and the protection of water infrastructure, such as pipelines, is being intensified. A third of the koala population is said to have died.
“Forest fires cost nearly 500 million animals their lives”
The country has been plagued by a continuing heat wave since last month. The average temperature is constantly around 40 degrees. Two weeks ago, Australia broke its own heat record, when the average temperature was 41.9 degrees.
Certainly 1.6 million hectares of nature would have been absorbed in the flames. So far eight people have come and estimated nearly 500 million animals killed, including thousands of protected koalas.
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