Tens of thousands of holiday-makers and residents are being urged to evacuate a popular tourist spot in southeast Australia as a heatwave sweeping through the region threatens to escalate wildfires.
In a televised appeal Sunday, Victoria state’s Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp called on about 30,000 people vacationing around Lakes Entrance in the East Gippsland region to leave immediately. “We want you to get out now,” Crisp said. “It is important that you now think very very seriously about leaving.”
The area, about four hours drive east of the state capital Melbourne, is already threatened by three major blazes, while soaring temperatures, wind and lightning could see more fires break out Monday and close the main highway in and out of the region.
It’s the latest development in the wildfire crisis that’s left at least nine people dead in Australia since blazes broke out months ago during the southern hemisphere winter amid a prolonged drought gripping parts of the country. The fires, which are affecting several states, have triggered an emotive debate about the impact of global warming in the world’s driest-inhabited continent.
With a state of emergency declared in New South Wales state, and toxic smoke shrouding Sydney for several days this month, the spotlight has been turned on Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s conservative government, which champions the coal industry and has dismissed calls to take more steps to curb emissions.
A severe heatwave is spreading across the country, with temperatures forecast to reach 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit) Monday in Lakes Entrance -- a coastal town with pristine beaches and a large system of inland waterways. Parts of western Sydney are expected to reach 44 degrees Celsius by Tuesday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks celebrations, which draw tens of thousands of tourists to the city for the harborside spectacle, will go ahead regardless. The city council has rejected a petition calling for the display to be scrapped and the money to be donated to bushfire and drought relief projects, saying the event is watched by millions of people worldwide and generates A$130 million ($91 million) for the local economy.
Authorities will liaise with the fire service to ensure the event can be held safely.
New South Wales has borne the brunt of the fires, which have burnt out more than 6 million acres of forest and bush land -- an area larger than New Jersey -- and destroyed the habitat of native animals such as koalas. Images of the marsupials drinking water from bottles after being rescued have gone viral on social media in recent days.
About 2,300 firefighters in the state are trying to contain 95 blazes before weather conditions deteriorate. Morrison announced Sunday that many members of the largely volunteer Rural Fire Service in New South Wales would be eligible for compensation of up to A$6,000 for their efforts, if they are self-employed, work for small or medium businesses and have spent 10 days in the field.
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