Australia Fires - A Visual Guide To The Bushfire Crisis - BBC News

1/16/2020 Australia fires: A visual guide to the bushfire crisis - BBC News
Australia fires: A visual guide to the bushfire crisis

13 January 2020
Australia fires
Record-breaking temperatures and months of severe drought have fuelled a series of

massive bushfires across Australia.
Although recent cooler conditions and rain have brought some respite, more than 100 fires
are still burning in the states of New South Wales and Victoria.
Some 28 people have so far been killed - including four firefighters - and an estimated 10
million hectares (100,000 sq km or 15.6 million acres) of bush, forest and parks across
Australia has burned.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50951043 1/18
Source: Nasa Firms. Map built using Carto
Points represent any detection of fire, not actual area burned. Heat sources which are not
bushfires make up less than 1% of data shown
If you can't see the map click here.
New South Wales and Victoria have been worst affected

In the worst-hit state, New South Wales (NSW), fire has affected more than five million
hectares, destroying more than 2,000 houses and forcing thousands to seek shelter
elsewhere.
There were 105 fires burning in the bush, mountain forests and national parks across NSW on
13 January, the Rural Fire Service said, with 38 uncontained.
Two large fires on the border between NSW and Victoria have merged into a so-called
"mega blaze".
Victoria, where fires have burned 1.2 million hectares, extended a "state of disaster" for the
worst-hit areas from 2 to 11 January, allowing authorities to enforce evacuations and let
emergency services take over properties.
Three people - including one firefighter - have died in Victoria and around 20 fires are burning.
The military has sent troops, ships and aircraft to the region to help relocation and firefighting
efforts.
What's Australia doing to fight the bushfires?
South Australia has also suffered

Two people and an estimated 25,000 koalas were killed when flames devastated Kangaroo
Island in the state of South Australia last week
The island is renowned for its unique mix of animal species.
Experts have expressed concerns over the survival of endangered species on the
island which include the dunnart - a mouse-like marsupial - and the black glossy cockatoo.
Tens of thousands of farm animals, mainly sheep, were also killed in the fire.
Saving Kangaroo Island's animal casualties
Videos posted on social media have shown efforts to rescue Koalas which survived the
blazes.
@CALIADOMENICO
Elsewhere in South Australia, the Cudlee Creek fire is reported to have destroyed more than
80 homes in the Adelaide Hills region.
Fires are also thought to have destroyed up to a third of the vines that provide grapes for the
Adelaide Hills wine industry.
Smoke from fires has become a major hazard

The Australian capital Canberra - part of an administrative region surrounded by NSW - has
seen some of the worst smoke pollution, with air quality rated the third worst of all major
global cities on 3 January, according to Swiss-based group AirVisual.
Satellite images from 4 January show the spread of smoke from fires in Victoria and NSW,
which has affected air quality as far away as New Zealand.
The fires have been worse than usual

Although Australia has always had bushfires, this season has been a lot worse than normal.
The total area of land affected by fires across Australia - 10 million hectares - is now
comparable to England's land area of 13 million hectares.
In pictures: Latest from the Australian bushfires
Humans are sometimes to blame for starting the fires, but they are also often sparked by
natural causes, such as lightning striking dry vegetation.
Once fires have started, other areas are at risk, with embers blown by the wind causing
blazes to spread to new areas.
Bush fires themselves can also drive thunderstorms, increasing the risk of lightning strikes
and further fires.
The number of people killed as a result of the fires since September 2019 is higher than in
recent years.
Australia's deadliest bushfire disaster was "Black Saturday" in February 2009, when some
180 people died in Victoria.
If there is a serious risk of fire reaching homes or properties, authorities urge people to leave
in good time as fire can travel fast - faster than most people can run.
So is this down to climate change?

Many Australians are asking that very question - but the science is complicated.
Scientists have long warned that a hotter, drier climate will contribute to fires becoming more
frequent and more intense. Many parts of Australia have been in drought conditions, some for
years, which has made it easier for the fires to spread and grow.
Data shows that Australia has warmed overall by slightly more than one degree Celsius since
1910, with most of the heating occurring since 1950, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
Australia broke its all-time temperature record twice in December. An average maximum of
40.9C was recorded on 17 December, broken a day later by 41.9C, both beating 2013's
record of 40.3C.
By the end of the month every state had measured temperatures above 40C - including
Tasmania, which is usually much cooler than the mainland.
A climate phenomenon is behind the heatwave

The main climate driver behind the heat has been a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) - an
event where sea surface temperatures are warmer in the western half of the ocean, cooler in
the east.
The difference between the two temperatures is currently the strongest in 60 years.
As a result, there has been higher-than-average rainfall and floods in eastern Africa and
droughts in south-east Asia and Australia.
Andrew Watkins, head of long-range forecasts at the bureau, said the dipole was crucial to
understanding the heatwave.
"The key culprit of our current and expected conditions is one of the strongest positive Indian
Ocean dipole events on record," he says.
"A positive IOD means we have cooler than average water pooling off Indonesia, and this
means we see less rain-bearing weather systems, and warmer than average temperatures for
large parts of the country."
And meteorologists warn that, for the moment, the intense weather and elevated fire risk in
Australia is set to continue.
Related Topics
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1/16/2020 Australia fires: A visual guide to the bushfire crisis - BBC News

Australia fires: A visual guide to the bushfire crisis

Record-breaking temperatures and months of severe drought have fuelled a series of

Source: Nasa Firms. Map built using Carto

If you can't see the map click here.

New South Wales and Victoria have been worst affected

What's Australia doing to fight the bushfires?

South Australia has also suffered

The island is renowned for its unique mix of animal species.

Saving Kangaroo Island's animal casualties

Smoke from fires has become a major hazard

The fires have been worse than usual

In pictures: Latest from the Australian bushfires

So is this down to climate change?

A climate phenomenon is behind the heatwave

Australia climate Australia fires Australia Sydney New South Wales

Wildfires Climate change

Australian freed after arrest in Japan child custody row

Rain brings temporary relief to Australian bushfires

'It destroys you, mate, to shoot your own cattle'

Why you can trust BBC News

BBC News Services

Get news alerts

Contact BBC News

Explore the BBC

Terms of Use About the BBC

Privacy Policy Cookies

Accessibility Help Parental Guidance

Contact the BBC Get Personalised Newsletters

Advertise with us Ad choices

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