Firefighters in Australia are on full alert due to forecasts that the mercury will exceed 40 degrees Celsius. The drought and strong wind are reminiscent of the devastating fires of 2019-2020, when forests burned on an area of 200,000 square kilometers.
Temperatures in parts of South West Australia could exceed 40 degrees Celsius over the next few days. The drought and heat there are currently creating ideal conditions for large-scale forest fires, TASR writes, according to a report by the AFP agency.
- Temperatures in south-west Australia are forecast to reach above 40°C.
- Drought and heat contribute to the threat of forest fires.
- The years 2019–2020 brought catastrophic fires during the same conditions.
- The head of the fire service warns of a catastrophic level of danger.
The current situation is reminiscent of the turn of 2019 and 2020, when forests burned in Australia on an area of roughly 200,000 square kilometers. The fire risk will reach “catastrophic” levels in some of the more remote areas by Friday, according to Victoria state fire chief Jason Heffernan.
Hefferman: We’re asking the community to prepare today
“These are the worst conditions … for a fire to occur. Australian homes are not designed to withstand the conditions expected in some parts of the state. That’s why we’re asking the community to prepare today,” Heffernan told ABC television.
Firefighters, according to the AFP agency, are already fighting several fires in the states of Victoria and New South Wales. The flames also apparently damaged several houses near the village of Longwood, about 150 kilometers from Melbourne.
