Thousands of koalas feared dead in Australia wildfires - The Boston Globe

PERTH, Australia — Thousands of koalas are feared to have died in a wildfire-ravaged area north of Sydney, further diminishing Australia’s iconic marsupial, while the fire danger increased in the country’s east on Saturday as temperatures soared.

The mid-northern coast of New South Wales was home to up to 28,000 koalas, but wildfires have significantly reduced their population in recent months. Koalas are native to Australia and are one of the country’s most beloved animals, but they've been under threat due to a loss of habitat.

“Up to 30% of their habitat has been destroyed,” Australia's environment minister, Sussan Ley, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “We’ll know more when the fires are calmed down and a proper assessment can be made.”

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Images shared of koalas drinking water after being rescued from the wildfires have gone viral on social media in recent days. “I get mail from all around the world from people absolutely moved and amazed by our wildlife volunteer response and also by the habits of these curious creatures,” Ley said.

About 5 million hectares (12.35 million acres) of land have burned nationwide during the wildfire crisis, with nine people killed and more than 1,000 homes destroyed.

Fire danger in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory was upgraded to “severe” on Saturday, as high temperatures built up over the region. Sydney’s western suburbs reached 41 degrees Celsius (106 Fahrenheit), while the inner city is expected to hit 31 C (88 F) on Sunday before reaching 35 C (95 F) on Tuesday.

Two wildfires in New South Wales are at the "watch and act" level issued by fire services.

Canberra, Australia’s capital, peaked at 38 C (100 F) on Saturday, with oppressive temperatures forecast for the next seven days.

Meanwhile, New South Wales Emergency Services Minister David Elliott has gone on an overseas family vacation in the wake of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s much-criticized family trip to Hawaii.

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Morrison, who apologized for going away, eventually cut short his vacation and returned to Sydney last weekend.

Elliott said he will be briefed daily while overseas. “If the bushfire situation should demand it, I will return home without hesitation,” he said.

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2019-12-28 10:28:48Z
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Australia fires: New heat wave raises fears of worsening bushfires - CNN

In some parts of South Australia, authorities have raised a "severe" fire danger rating, which advised residents that evacuating early was "the safest option" for their survival.

Temperatures were forecast to peak at a maximum of 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) in the state capital, Adelaide, on Saturday and Sunday, potentially rising to 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Monday, according to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).

The heat wave was scheduled to reach the eastern part of the country over the weekend, according to CNN Weather producer Taylor Ward.

"Over the weekend the heat will build over Victoria and New South Wales, gradually reaching all the way to the Sydney area by Monday," he said. "Temperatures and the fire threat will increase as we head through the weekend, with the worst conditions expected for the fire-plagued areas of eastern New South Wales on Monday and Tuesday."

Melbourne, capital of Victoria state, could hit 41 Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit), on Monday, the BOM said on its website.

Deadly wildfires

For over two months, deadly bushfires have been burning out of control across Australia and engulfing whole towns, exacerbated by strong winds and rising temperatures.

By December 21, a total of nine people had died, with one missing, and nearly 800 homes had been destroyed by the fires. On December 19, two volunteer firefighters were killed while battling the blazes in New South Wales. It's believed their vehicle hit a tree before rolling off the road, said the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSWRFS) in a statement last week.

Australia has experienced one of the worst droughts in decades and sweltered under a record-breaking heat wave last week, when the average maximum temperature across the country hit 41.9 degrees Celsius (107.4 Fahrenheit).

The NSWRFS said that although firefighters have now contained half of the 72 bush fires still burning across the state, a fresh heat wave could pose a renewed threat.

"Our main focus at this stage is making sure we have strengthened the containment line, especially those to urban areas," said James Orris, a spokesman for the service.

He said some 1,500 firefighters have been deployed, and the priority was to control the fires to the northwest and southwest of Sydney, which it said were the most threatening for residents.

The fires have also threatened koalas living in the wild. In a photo on Facebook, firefighters in Hawkesbury, New South Wales were seen pulling two koalas to safety next to a highway.

In response to the heat wave, the South Australian government said it was providing more shelter options and had extended operating hours to cater for the homeless.

"Keeping vulnerable South Australians safe and well in the extreme heat forecast over the next few days is our priority," said Michelle Lensink, who heads the state's government services.

In a statement, the State Emergency Service has also urged the public to remain vigilant and drink plenty of water to remain hydrated.

"If you have to leave the car, even for a few minutes to run a quick errand or drop into a shop, make sure you take your children and pets with you," said Chris Beattie, chief officer of the emergency service.

"Hot cars kill, so there are no excuses and no exceptions. Because of their low body mass, children and pets are especially at risk. They lose fluids quicker and can become dehydrated very quickly."

CNN's Taylor Ward and Robert Shackelford contributed to this report

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2019-12-27 10:39:00Z
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Christmas promotion in Australian mall goes wrong Reuters - msnNOW

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Duration: 00:46 10 hrs ago

The event in a Parramatta mall saw shoppers go on a stampede as they scrambled for free gifts in balloons. Video credit: Jonathan Nott / @jononott

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2019-12-24 04:05:00Z
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Australia: Several injured in Sydney Christmas balloon drop - BBC News

Several people were injured in a balloon drop at Westfield Parramatta mall in Sydney.

Hundreds of shoppers tried to grab balloons which were stuffed with prizes. The incident took place at the end of a marathon Christmas shopping event.

There were children among those injured in the crush and several were sent to hospital.

The mall's owners have said they will investigate the incident.

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2019-12-24 03:09:01Z
52780516836703

Surprise! Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman wound up as seatmates on holiday flight home to Australia - USA TODAY

Hannah Yasharoff USA TODAY

Published 12:58 PM EST Dec 22, 2019

Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman are both heading home to Australia for the holidays.

The actors and longtime pals posed for a selfie Saturday after landing in their home country. Crowe shared a sweet message on Twitter, thanking Australian airline Qantas for his safe, timely travels. 

"Thanks for getting me home in time for Christmas out of the craziness that is LAX, and thanks for the pure gift of sitting me next to one of my favourite people in the universe," Crowe wrote. 

After a follower wondered if the photo, featuring the two actors looking merry and bright, was taken before the lengthy flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, Crowe confirmed the two landed looking fresh and joyful. 

"The extra sparkle comes from being on Australian soil," he added, wishing his followers a "Merry Christmas." 

Kidman shared the same photo, remarking, "You never know who you'll run into on your way home for Christmas." 

'How are you on this flight?': Rihanna and Paul McCartney run into each other on a plane

Crowe, a New Zealand native, has spent most of his life in Australia. He has two kids, 13-year-old Tennyson and 16-year-old Charles, with his ex-wife Danielle Spencer. 

Kidman, who was born in Hawaii to Australian parents, holds dual citizenship and shares a Nashville home with her husband, fellow Aussie and country music star Keith Urban, in addition to their Australian farmhouse. 

The two famous friends have known each other for more 30 years and appeared together in the 2018 drama "Boy Erased." Crowe attended Kidman's dad's funeral in 2014. 

How to deal with holiday traffic: When NOT to drive, what to expect at airports

'Elf' on the plane: Here are the holiday movies that airlines are showing this year

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2019-12-22 17:59:22Z
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Australia's Deadly Wildfires Rage, Overshadowing Holiday Period - Bloomberg

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Australia's Deadly Wildfires Rage, Overshadowing Holiday Period  Bloomberg
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2019-12-22 04:23:39Z
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'Burnt Christmas tree' is a perfect symbol for Australia's fire-ravaged holiday season - msnNOW

A woman takes a photo 'the Burnt Christmas tree' in Sydney. The art installation is to help support the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund in the wake of the bush fire situation across New South Wales.

“Burnt Christmas tree” was built by artist James Dive from charred logs and other bush fire remnants.

Horses in a paddock as the Gospers Mountain Fire impacts Bilpin, in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on Dec. 21 2019. A

A community Christmas tree stands against a smoke filled sky in Sydney on Dec. 6.

Smoke haze from bush fires blankets the Sydney central business district, as beachgoers jump from a cliff in Nielsen Park.

A burnt Christmas decoration lies on the ground in front of a house recently destroyed by bush fires on the outskirts of the town of Bargo, Australia.

People enjoy their work Christmas party floating down the Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia, on Dec. 20 2019.

7/7 SLIDES

  It’s become a symbol of this year’s tragic holiday season in Australia: a tree crafted from burned bicycles, charred wood and even a fire alarm collected in areas scorched by raging bush fires.

The “burnt Christmas tree” is on display in Sydney’s central business district as “a symbol of support for those who’ve lost their homes and livelihood,” according to the Australian Red Cross, which helped set it up as part of a fundraising campaign.

It’s one of several projects underway by Australians trying to keep a holiday spirit alive as they struggle with the fallout of weeks of fierce fires, sizzling temperatures and suffocating pollution that have left eight people dead and, so far, destroyed more than 700 homes and 3 million acres of farming land. 

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On Friday, Australia suffered through the fourth day of a historic heat wave in the South Hemisphere summer that has swiftly surpassed previous records. The heat wave has provided fresh kindling for the over 200 bush fires that firefighters were battling across five states, leaving cities even hundreds of miles away, such as Melbourne, enveloped in hazardous smoke.

The chaos pushed Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to cut short a planned family trip to Hawaii. He apologized Friday for being on holiday as the fires blazed. Morrison’s conservative government has tried to calm Australians by emphasizing that bush fires and droughts in the country are common. That has not eased the fears of many who see these fires as symbolizing climate change’s threat to their way of life in a country that’s a major producer of coal, oil, and natural gas.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Karen Webb talks to media at the NSW Rural Fire Service Headquarters on Dec. 21, in Sydney. A catastrophic fire danger warning has been issued for the greater Sydney region, the Illawarra and southern ranges as hot, windy conditions continue to hamper firefighting efforts across NSW. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian declared a state of emergency on Thursday, the second state of emergency declared in NSW since the start of the bushfire season.

Horses in a paddock as the Gospers Mountain Fire impacts Bilpin, in the Blue Mountains, on Dec. 21. According to media reports, conditions are expected to worsen across much of the state as temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius. 

A firefighting helicopter in action as the Grose Valley Fire approaches Bilpin, New South Wales, on Dec. 21.

A general view shows smoke from a bushfire near Gumeracha in the Adelaide Hills, on Dec. 21.

Firefighters tend to burning property caused by bushfires in Bargo, southwest of Sydney, on Dec. 21.

Smoke haze from bushfires blankets the Sydney central business district as beachgoers jump from a cliff in Nielsen Park during hot weather on Dec. 21.

Helicopters dump water on bushfires as they approach homes located on the outskirts of the town of Bargo on Dec. 21.

Staff work at the NSW Rural Fire Service State Operations Centre at the NSW Rural Fire Service Headquarters at Sydney Olympic Park on Dec. 21.

Firefighters tend to burning property caused by bushfires in Bargo, on Dec. 21.

The sky is filled with smoke, and ash on Dec. 21, in Shoalhaven Heads.

Sunbathers are seen on Bondi Beach as temperatures soar in Sydney on Dec. 21.

NSW Rural Fire Service crews fight the Gospers Mountain Fire as it impacts a structure at Bilpin, in the Blue Mountains, on Dec. 21.

Members of the Horsley Park RFS are seen at a memorial for volunteer firefighters who died when their fire truck was struck by a falling tree as it traveled through the front line of a fire, at the Horsley Park Rural Fire Brigade on Dec. 20, in Horsley Park, NSW, Australia. 

A farmer uses a hose to douse flames as he drives a tractor in a burning paddock where a large bush fire burns near homes on the outskirts of the town of Bilpin on Dec. 19, in Sydney, Australia.

Fire and rescue personnel prepare to use a hose in an effort to extinguish a bush fire as it burns near homes on Dec. 19, in Sydney, Australia.

Rural Fire Service (RFS) crews engage in property protection of a number of homes along the Old Hume Highway on Dec. 19, in the southwest of Sydney, Australia.

Residents watch a large bushfire as seen from Bargo, 150km southwest of Sydney, on Dec. 19. A state of emergency was declared in Australia's most populated region as an unprecedented heatwave fanned out-of-control bushfires, destroying homes and smothering huge areas with a toxic smoke.

A helicopter drops fire retardant to protect a property in Balmoral, on Dec. 19.

A property burns from bushfires in Balmoral, on Dec. 19.

A tourist boat rides on the Harbour in thick smoke in Sydney, on Dec. 19.

A bushfire burns behind a property in Balmoral, on Dec. 19.

A helicopter drops water onto a large bushfire in Bargo, on Dec. 19.

Trees burn as a bushfire threatens homes on the outskirts of the town of Bilpin, on Dec. 19.

A farmer drives a tractor as he uses a hose to put out a fire burning in his paddock on Dec. 19, in Sydney.

A firefighter pulls a hose to douse a bushfire in Dargan, on Dec. 18.

Burnt trees are seen after a bushfire in Mount Weison in Blue Mountains, on Dec. 18.

New South Wales Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue crews work to contain the Gospers Mountain fire in the Blue Mountains National Park, Australia, on Dec. 17.

Australia's New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian (C) meets with NSW Rural Fire Service Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers (L) and RFS Superintendent Karen Hodges (R) during a briefing in Wilberforce, Australia, on Dec. 17.

Fire and rescue crews work to contain the Gospers Mountain fire in the Blue Mountains National Park, Australia, on Dec. 17.

Emergency Leaders for Climate Action spokesperson Greg Mullins speaks at a media event in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 17.  

Fire and Rescue crews work to contain the Gospers Mountain fire in the Blue Mountains National Park, Australia, on Dec. 17.

Demonstrators participate in a climate protest rally in Sydney on Dec. 15.

A bushfire burns outside the Perth Cricket Satdium in Perth on Dec. 13.

Activists rally for climate action at Hyde Park on Dec. 11, in Sydney.

A man wears a face mask as smoke haze is seen over Sydney and the air quality index reaches higher than ten times hazardous levels in some suburbs on Dec. 11.

A young girl wearing a mask looks on during a rally for climate action at Sydney Town Hall on Dec. 11, in Sydney.

A number of bushfires combined into a single giant blaze north of Sydney on Dec. 10, blanketing Australia’s biggest city in hazardous smoke. Firefighters believe it will take weeks to control the blaze.

Firefighters spring to action at the Three Mile Fire in the suburb of Kulnura on Dec. 10.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is enveloped in haze caused by nearby bushfires on Dec. 10

Thick smoke from wildfires shroud the Opera House on Dec. 10.

Smoke haze is seen over Bondi Beach on Dec. 10.

Firefighters battle a flare-up on Dec. 10. 

Residents look on from a balcony as smoke and flames from a back burn, conducted to secure the area from encroaching bushfires, are seen close to homes at the Spencer area in Central Coast, some 90-110 kilometres north of Sydney on Dec. 9.

A Rural Fire Service firefighters starts a controlled backburn in an effort to contain an approaching fire near Nattai, southwest of Sydney, on Dec. 7.

A New South Wales Rural Fire Service officer establishes a backburn to contain a bushfire in Mangrove Mountain, on Dec. 8.

A New South Wales Rural Fire Service officer establishes a backburn to contain a bushfire in Mangrove Mountain, on Dec. 8.

A firefighter conducting back burning measures to secure residential areas from encroaching bushfires. on Dec. 7.

A fire rating display showing high alert as bushfire burn at the Mangrove Dam, on Dec. 7.

Flames from back burning measures, used to secure residential areas from encroaching bushfires, on Dec. 7.

Firefighters conducting back burning measures to secure residential areas from encroaching bushfires, on Dec. 7.

50/50 SLIDES

Slideshow by photo services

In the meantime, Australians, aren’t giving up. Aid groups such as the Salvation Army have set up stations across affected areas, while volunteer firefighters have deployed for weeks now despite the low pay and many dangers, including death. Charities are urging people to buy gifts, anything from crafts to a Christmas ham, from businesses in areas affected by the fires. Even firefighters in Canada have offered to give up their Christmas or winter break to come to Australia and help fight the blaze.

Australian schools are now closed for a holiday break, a popular time to travel to areas around Sydney, such as the Blue Mountains and Shoalhaven and Illawarra regions, that this year are engulfed in flames. At first Australians were hesitant to change Christmas or other vacation plans, but now authorities are warning residents of smoke-filled Sydney not to leave, lest they become caught in burning roads and inferno-like conditions, the Guardian reported.

Still, there have been little moments of luck or, for some, miracles, along the way.

A man who calls himself Neil — who told Australia’s ABC that he “wished to remain anonymous because he believes that is part of the fun” — has for the past seven years decorated one tree along a road in Queensland with Christmas lights and cheer, after his wife first came up with the idea. Last year, their efforts went locally viral on Facebook when they added solar-powered lights. This year, Neil was so sure the yuletide tree would be lost to the flames that he had already bought new decorations.

But help came in the form of 70-year-old volunteer firefighter Curl Santacaterina, who insisted they save that tree. And so Santacaterina bravely stood on the back of a firetruck and sprayed a hose to water the tree as flames raged around him.

“We’re really, really pleased that everybody is getting a buzz out of it and getting a bit of Christmas spirit,” Neil told ABC.

He added, “When I heard it had been saved I guess I almost got a bit emotional about it. ... I thought ‘wow, this has really taken off and got a bit of community spirit — a bit of something happening’.”

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2019-12-21 20:34:23Z
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