Australian officials in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) have declared a state of emergency as soaring temperatures and strong winds risk propelling massive bushfires into Canberra.
The fire, in the territory’s south, has spread across more than 18,500 hectares of land, almost 8 percent of the regions land mass.
ACT Chief Minister, Andrew Barry said, “Australia is now facing the worst bushfire threat since the devastating fires of 2003.”
Residents have been urged to “stay alert” for potential evacuations of the area over concerns that the fire “may become uncontrollable” as temperatures climb to 40°C.
The image shows the potential spread of the #bushfire in the heavily forested national park from Friday to Sunday. Bushfires continue to grow in the region #canberrafire #Australia
Helpful resources #AustraliaBushfires: https://t.co/O1DuhQWDQ3 pic.twitter.com/iKYZE5fKMW
— thestrife (@thestrife_world) January 31, 2020
Two decades ago, a similar blaze in the Canberra region saw four people killed, injured another 500, and damaged 470 homes.
The territory, situated between Melbourne and Sydney, has around 400,000 residents.
The ACT has told reporters this morning, “There’s now no higher priority for the ACT government at this time than the bushfire threat.”
He added that the extra resources and power given to fire authorities in a state of emergency will continue “as long as Canberra is at risk”.
Bushfires in Australia have raged since September, killing at least 33 people, destroying thousands of homes and killing wildlife.
Professor Chris Dickman, an expert of Australian biodiversity at the University of Sydney, estimates that almost half a billion animals have been wiped out as a result of the fires.
As the crisis continues, Mr Barr has condemned “disaster tourists” who have visited affected areas to take photographs for social media. He reinforced his message to disaster tourists, saying they’re not welcome as this fire approaches more areas.