A severe heat wave in Australia this weekend caused wildfires in several regions of the country. Since Saturday, authorities have tackled dozens of outbreaks in places including the Central Coast of New South Wales, which have destroyed homes and caused power outages. The arrival of a cold front this Sunday appears to have helped prevent a greater disaster from occurring.
According to Reuters, authorities on Saturday called for evacuations with the highest danger rating for thousands of residents of the Central Coast, in the country’s most populous state.
The warning was for the Phegans Bay and Woy Woy region, with a population of more than 350,000 people, about 45 kilometers north of Sydney, Australia’s largest city.
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At least 20 homes have been lost to bushfires that have hit the region, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported. “Leave now if the way is clear towards Woy Woy,” the state Rural Fire Service said on its website.
The heatwave on Saturday that hit New Wales, with temperatures reaching 42 degrees Celsius, increased the fire risk in the region, the Department of Meteorology said. “Please look out for each other and follow the advice of authorities,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement.
More than 50 bushfires were reported on Saturday, authorities said, including one in the Upper Hunter area, also with a higher emergency level, that burned almost 10,000 hectares.
Authorities have warned of a high-risk bushfire season this Australian summer after several quiet seasons. The “Black Summer” fires of 2019-2020 destroyed an area the size of Türkiye and killed 33 people.
