City
Epaper

Aussie state declares state of emergency over bushfires

By IANS | Updated: November 11, 2019 09:20 IST

Australia's New South Wales (NSW) state on Monday declared a state of emergency due to the raging bushfires that have so far killed three people and have razed more than 150 houses.

Open in App

NSW Premier Gladys Berejilkian attributed the seven-day measure to the need to save lives and also ahead of dangerous weather conditions that could worsen the blazes, reports Efe news.

At least 100 people have been injured, including 20 firefighters, in the blazes that escalated on Friday, according to the region's ambulance service.

More than 60 fires continue to burn across the state, of which 40 are yet to be contained, the Rural Fire Service said.

"Many of these fires won't be contained ahead of tomorrow's dangerous fire weather. Catastrophic fire danger has been declared for Tuesday in Sydney and Hunter areas," the emergency service tweeted.

Temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius were expected on Tuesday, with dry conditions and strong winds.

In addition to NSW, where fires have devastated 850,000 hectares of land since the beginning of the year, in parts of the state of Queensland, 50 bushfires have also been declared in recent days.

The fire season in Australia varies by area and weather conditions, although they are generally recorded in the southern summer (between the months of December to March).

In recent years, fires in Australia - which this year has also suffered severe drought - have increased in intensity, with many experts linking them to climate change.

The worst fires in the Oceanic country in recent decades occurred in early February 2009 in the state of Victoria. They caused 173 deaths and 414 wounded, and burned an area of 4,500 sq.km.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: australiaNSWRural Fire ServiceIans
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalEid Al-Fitr 2025: Australia to Celebrate Ramadan Eid on March 31 and First Day of Shawwal 1446 AH

CricketAustralia: Pak-Origin Player Dies While Playing Cricket In Extreme Heat During Ramadan Fast in Adelaide

Social ViralViral Video Shows Kids Using Dead Python as Skipping Rope in Australia, Internet Reacts

CricketMohammed Shami Ramadan Controversy: India Pacer's Coach Badruddin Siddique Defends Cricketer, Says Desh Ke Aage Kuch Nahin

CricketChampions Trophy 2025: Australia Enters Semi-Finals After Rain Abandoned Match vs Afghanistan

International Realted Stories

InternationalAngola President Lourenco condemns Pahalgam terror attack, expresses solidarity with India in tackling cross-border terrorism

InternationalSriLankan Airlines Flight From Chennai Searched After Pahalgam Attack Tip-Off, No Suspects Found

InternationalFlight from Chennai undergoes security search in Colombo, no terror suspects found on board

InternationalPress freedom under siege: Pakistan falls to 158th in global rankings

InternationalDeeply worried about increasing Chinese influence on Pakistan: Former US NSA