As the world welcomes the New Year, thousands of people in Australia are rendered homeless, and many have lost their lives in the Australian wildfire that has engulfed the southwest part of the country. New South Wales and Victoria are the most affected places.
Reports say that around 4000 people of the coastal town of Mallacoota have taken refuge on the nearby beaches as strong winds pushed the wildfire towards their homes. State authorities have activated emergency resources and have deployed thousands of firefighters who are working round the clock to control the raging infernos since early September. Authorities have cautioned that conditions may worsen over the weekend when high temperatures and high winds are expected to hit New South Wales.
The Australian government has even deployed the defense force, including the Air Force, to assist. Navy ships were bringing water, food, and fuel to towns where supplies were depleted, and roads were cut off by the fires. Countries like United States, Canada, and New Zealand have extended their help and have sent additional firefighters for assistance.
About 12.5 million acres of land have been burned down countrywide over the last few months, with 17 people dead and more than 1000 homes destroyed. Record heat, strong winds, and drought situations have exacerbated the blazes this annual fire season.
New South Wales police have confirmed that two men, 63-year-old and 20-year-old, believed to be father and son have died as wildfire engulfed their house. There are numerous dead unaccounted for. A 28-year-old volunteer firefighter named Samuel McPaul lost his life, leaving behind his pregnant wife with their first child when his truck was overturned in a rare phenomenon known as the fire tornado. Cyclonic winds lifted the vehicle, flipped it onto its roof, and trapping the people inside. Three people were injured, but Samuel lost his life.
The wildfire has reignited the debate regarding Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s conservative government’s steps regarding climate change. Morrison is termed as a climate change skeptic, and due to that has faced numerous backslash from people. In a recent statement, Scott Morrison had said: “climate change along with other factors have contributed to the wildfire.” He even faced criticism for going on a family vacation in Hawaii during the crisis, which he later canceled and apologized publicly.
Australia is the world’s largest exporter of coal and liquefied natural gas, but Morrison rejected calls last month to downsize the coal industry. Morrison government pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26% to 28% by 2030, but nothing has happened so far.
The leader of the minor Australian Greens party, Richard Di Natale, demanded a royal commission on the wildfire crisis.
According to reports still, now more than 130 fires are burning across New South Wales, with five at an emergency level. Authorities have warned that power would be out for 24 hours along the fire-ravaged south coast of the state.
