Massive bushfires have flared up in southeast Australia in a months-long crisis, killing nearly half a billion native animals in New South Wales state alone along with 20 deaths reported and with more than hundreds of properties destroyed so far.
All over the vast country, millions of beleaguered residents struggled to come to grips with a catastrophe that has taken place on a near-continental scale, unfurled over months and altered daily life.
In picture: A military helicopter flies above a burning woodchip mill in Eden, in Australia's New South Wales
While bushfires are common in Australia's dry summers, climate change has pushed up land and sea temperatures and led to more extremely hot days and severe fire seasons. This satellite image provided by NASA on January 4 shows wildfires in Victoria and New South Wales.
The bushfire crisis has taken a very heavy toll with more than 1,500 homes already lost throughout the course of this fire season, which has been running since September, according to the government.
Conditions have been particularly severe in recent days, with an ongoing blaze on Kangaroo Island spreading rapidly and razing 170,000 hectares -- one-third of the island -- as of January 3. Kangaroos have been moved nearby residential areas within the state to escape the fire that, according to the local authorities, has already halved their population.
At least half of Australia's only disease-free koala population, a key "insurance" for the species' future, is feared dead with more badly hurt after bushfires swept through the Kangaroo island, rescuers said. The koalas cannot be removed from the island due to their chlamydia-free status, the state government said, adding that veterinarians were rescuing and treating the injured animals on-site.
Over 3,000 firefighters are on the frontline, with 31 specialist strike teams in place across NSW. The country's military forces were of assistance with aerial reconnaissance, mapping, search and rescue, logistics and aerial support for months.
The bushfires have caused many residents to evacuate due to the threat of wildfires in their locality. In picture: Evacuees board a Royal Australian Navy MRH-90 helicopter at Mallacoota, as bushfires threaten the area
Australian authorities have been struggling with the crisis across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and other states. According to media reports, dozens of people sought shelter on Eden's wharf, but police warned that the area was no longer safe. The police officers warning tourists and those not able to defend their homes to leave, said: "We cannot guarantee your safety at present under the conditions that we have now here at the Eden Wharf (sic)".
In New South Wales, 18 people lost their lives in 150 bushfires burning, 64 un-contained across the state. More than 3.6 million hectares have been burned with over 1300 homes destroyed.
In picture: A burnt vehicle is seen on Quinlans street after an overnight bushfire in Quaama in Australia's New South Wales state
Bushfires took out two substations and transmission lines, prompting authorities in New South Wales to warn that an area home to almost eight million people and the nation's largest city Sydney could experience rolling blackouts.
In picture: A Royal Australian Navy crew member views a bushfire from the HMAS Adelaide ship as it arrives at Eden in the Australian state of New South Wales, as part of bushfire relief operations.
Australian prime minister Scott Morrison was criticised for taking a family vacation in Hawaii at the start of the wildfire crisis, with many people complaining about the lack of readiness in the utilisation of resources. Last week, he was heckled when he visited a township in New South Wales where houses have been destroyed and one of them belonged to one of the three volunteer firefighters who have died in the crisis.
A state of emergency had been declared across much of the heavily populated southeast and more than 100,000 people were told to leave their homes across three states. Thousands heeded that call on Friday, abandoning summer holidays and piling into cars that clogged the highways linking southeastern coastal towns with the relative safety of Sydney or larger towns.
In picture: A dog sits amongst ash from bushfires washed up on a beach in Merimbula, in Australia's New South Wales
ADVERTISEMENT