Australia Bushfires Rage: 1 Dead, 300 Buildings Destroyed
Catastrophic bushfires rage across south-east Australia, killing 1 and destroying 300 homes. Climate change worsens fire conditions across Victoria.
A man has died and 300 properties have been destroyed in wildfires raging across southeastern Australia.
The fires have been burning for days in dozens of locations across the country, mostly in the state of Victoria, but also in New South Wales, and have scorched an area roughly twice the size of Greater London.
A state of emergency has been declared in Victoria as thousands of firefighters and more than 70 aircraft battle the blazes. Residents in more than a dozen communities have been advised to leave their homes.
Authorities fear the fires could burn for weeks due to high temperatures, drought, and strong winds.
Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan said there were 30 fires burning across the state, 10 of which were of particular concern.
She said that as of 8:00 am local time on Sunday, 350,000 hectares of land had been burned across the state.
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Australia on Edge as Catastrophic Bushfires Destroy Homes |
"We will see fires burning across the state for some time to come, and that's why we are not out of this crisis yet," she told Australian media.
"There are still fires burning in some locations that are threatening homes and properties."
Police said human remains were found in the village of Gobur, near the town of Longwood, about 110 km (70 miles) north of the state capital Melbourne. The victim has not yet been identified.
Allan praised the emergency services personnel who recovered the body. "It's difficult and tragic work, and it takes a terrible toll."
She added, "The Gobur community is grieving."
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Smoke from the wildfires is affecting air quality in many parts of Victoria, including metropolitan Melbourne. Officials said the fire is the most devastating in southeastern Australia since the 2019-2020 blazes, which burned an area the size of Turkey and killed 33 people.
One of the worst-hit areas is the small town of Harcourt in Victoria's Central Highlands, where firefighter Tyrone Rice lost his home in the fire. He was battling the bushfire when he learned his house had burned down.
He told Australian media it was "like a kick in the guts, but I'm not the first person to go through this, and I won't be the last." Local fire captain Andrew Wilson said the devastation in Harcourt was "heartbreaking." He said what he saw was "pretty horrific," and in many places, "all that's left of these houses is the tin roofs lying on the ground."
While it's difficult to link individual bushfires to climate change because human land use can also be a factor, scientists say that the hotter, drier weather that fuels wildfires is becoming more common due to climate change.
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