Wave of Blazes Strains Firefighting Network, From Australia to California - Wall Street Journal

By

Rachel Pannett and

Rachel Pannett
The Wall Street Journal
• Biography
• @RachelPannett
• rachel.pannett@dowjones.com
• rachel.pannett@wsj.com

Mike Cherney

Mike Cherney
The Wall Street Journal
• Biography
• @Mike_Cherney
• mike.cherney@wsj.com

Updated Jan. 2, 2020 7:18 am ET

A helicopter fighting a bush fire in the East Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Photo: handout/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

RICHMOND AIR FORCE BASE, Australia—Smoke from huge wildfires near Sydney wafted over the tarmac as Jonas Doherty readied a newly modified Boeing 737 equipped to drop 4,000 gallons of firefighting liquid above the blaze.

Mr. Doherty and his co-pilot descended to 150 feet and slowed the aircraft to about 150 miles an hour to empty the load, pressing a red button in the cockpit labeled “tank drop.” The duo and other air-tanker pilots are working 12-hour shifts and flying as many as 15 times a day as Australia battles its worst wildfire season in years.

“It’s relentless,” said Mr. Doherty, a 41-year-old pilot from Idaho who flies for Coulson Group, one of the international companies contracted by Australian authorities for aerial firefighting services. “This is like a magnitude of five times what we’ve seen before.”

Air-tanker pilots Jonas Doherty, right, and Shawn Dugan in the cockpit as they waited to be assigned missions dropping firefighting liquid on wildfires in Australia. Photo: Mike Cherney/The Wall Street Journal

The Australian fires are exposing vulnerabilities in the global firefighting network as fire seasons around the world overlap.

For years, the U.S. and Australia shared firefighting resources—such as specialist firefighters—in each of their off-seasons. But that tradition is coming under pressure as fire seasons start earlier and run for longer, due in part to climate change, scientists say, as well as drought and extreme temperatures. Major fires broke out in Australia within days of a wildfire north of San Francisco in late October, a period of extreme fire weather that had California utilities collectively cutting power to millions of people.

The Australian fires intensified in the past few days, killing at least eight people and obliterating some small towns. Authorities said Thursday 17 people are missing in Victoria state, in the country’s southeast. Military helicopters and ships were sent to assist thousands of people stranded by fires burning right down to the waterline in some places and turning the sky blood red. Tens of thousands of vacationers were told Thursday to evacuate popular holiday spots stretching along the south coast of New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, to the Victorian border, before extreme temperatures hit again Saturday.

Horses tried to move away from bush fires on Tuesday near the town of Nowra in the Australian state of New South Wales. Photo: saeed khan/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

The overlapping fire seasons are challenging contract companies that help firefighting agencies world-wide because customers in different regions are increasingly requesting aid at the same time. Bolivia leased a Boeing 747 water bomber from the U.S. to fight fires in the Amazon in August. That same month, blazes broke out in Australia amid tinder-dry conditions as winter rains failed to arrive.

“Our whole paradigm of progressive fire seasons is out the window,” said Greg Mullins, a former New South Wales Fire and Rescue commissioner who recently toured areas devastated in the Californian fires to learn lessons for Australia’s worsening wildfire risk. “We’ll be fighting over the very small fleet of aircraft.”

California’s fire season in the Sierra Nevada is now nearly 75 days longer than it was four decades ago, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

“The problem is our fire seasons are getting longer and longer,” said Ken Pimlott, who retired as the director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in 2018. “We’re sort of competing, now, for the same resources on the edge of our fire season.”

Heating Up

Tourists were advised to leave as authorities expect more fires over the weekend.

Area of

detail

Hotspots and fires*

NEW SOUTH

WALES

Sydney

Corryong

Canberra

Batemans Bay

South coast

evacuation

zone

VICTORIA

Melbourne

Mallacoota

200 miles

200 km

*detected between Dec. 26, 2019 and Jan. 1, 2020

Sources: NASA (hotspots); NSW Rural Fire
Service (evacuation area)

The U.S. Forest Service plans to source all of its large air tankers from private contractors through 2022, according to a strategy paper published in 2018, a shift from previous years when it attempted to use repurposed search-and-rescue planes from the Coast Guard. This program was plagued by costly delays in converting the aircraft and was only intended as a bridge until private industry could meet demand.

Only a handful of contract companies operate large air tankers world-wide. In the U.S., the forest service has contracts with 10 Tanker Air Carrier, Aero Flite, Aero Air, Neptune Aviation and Coulson Aviation.

Buying or leasing these highly modified and expensive firefighting planes isn’t as easy as sharing firefighters in the off-season—as the U.S., Canada and Australia have done for many years. It takes as much as a year to equip a firefighting plane, including getting certification from local aviation authorities to cut holes in the aircraft.

Australian authorities on Tuesday said they have requested additional specialist aviation equipment from the U.S. and Canada, as well as fire crews able to work in extreme conditions.

Children played on Tuesday in the southern New South Wales town of Bega where they were camping after being evacuated from nearby sites hit by wildfires. Photo: sean davey/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Canada-based Coulson recently expanded its Australian operations and is currently operating across three continents, with aircraft in Orange County, Calif., Chile and Australia. “It’s just one big fire season right now around the world,” said Wayne Coulson, the company’s chief executive. His planes are typically on contract in the U.S. from May through November. In 2019, the company’s first aircraft landed in Australia in August and it has been busy ever since. “We’re flying our butts off right now.”

Wildfires in Australia continued to intensify over the weekend and into Monday as local officials warn that large areas of the country are still at risk. Photo: Associated Press

With so many fires burning and ground conditions unpredictable, Mr. Doherty said flight plans are being changed more frequently than previous fire seasons—even after the air tanker has taken off.

On a 43-minute flight on Sunday, Mr. Doherty said his aircraft was rerouted twice after firefighters decided the original destination was under control. But Mr. Doherty and his co-pilot, 33-year-old American Shawn Dugan, ultimately couldn’t dump their firefighting gel because too much smoke made it difficult to see.

“A lot of times in previous years, you take off, and you can see for 100 miles and you can see the column of smoke that you’re going to,” Mr. Doherty said. “Now it’s just, everywhere you look, there’s smoke.”

—Erin Ailworth contributed to this article.

Write to Rachel Pannett at rachel.pannett@wsj.com and Mike Cherney at mike.cherney@wsj.com

Copyright ©2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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2020-01-02 12:18:00Z
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New South Wales declares a 7-day state of emergency as Australia's deadly bushfires rage - CNN

State Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Thursday that the emergency declaration would come into effect Friday morning as weather conditions are expected to deteriorate significantly on Saturday, raising the fire danger even further.

This is the third time NSW has declared a state of emergency in as many months -- the last two times, in November and December, were also for seven days, and granted extraordinary powers to the Rural Fire Service.

Berejiklian said residents could also be subject to forced evacuations, road closures and any other means necessary to keep people safe.

"We want to make sure we are taking every single precaution to be prepared for what could be a horrible day on Saturday," she said.

Thousands of people were already fleeing the state's south coast on Thursday, with the Rural Fire Service setting up a "tourist leave zone" from the town of Batemans Bay down to the Victoria border. All visitors were urged to evacuate before Saturday, when temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), dry conditions and ferocious winds are expected to heighten the risk of further blazes.

"These will be dangerous conditions," the fire service warned. "Do not be in this area on Saturday."

Thousands are evacuating from the coast

Similar hot, windy weather on Tuesday led to massive fires spreading out of control. Seven people died from the fires within 24 hours. Conditions improved slightly on Thursday -- creating a small window of opportunity for people to evacuate before the situation worsens again Saturday.

Tens of thousands of people are estimated to be in the south coast region, home to seaside towns that swell in population during summer.

Residents on Thursday were heeding the warning. Hundreds if not thousands of cars were backed up in small towns south of Nowra, on the southern coast, according to police. Roads away from the tourist area were packed with long lines of cars waiting to leave, and one major road heading south beyond Nowra was closed due to a fire that jumped the highway.

Some people had been waiting in line for hours and were getting frustrated, with little indication of when the road will open.

Nowra resident Trevor Garland was one of those trying to head south -- his 16-year-old daughter was stranded in the NSW town Sussex Inlet, where she was visiting a friend.

"The big picture is one road in, one road out," he told CNN on Thursday. "I'm going to wait here all night if I have to."

Rob O'Neill had been waiting for six hours at the roadblock. He was also trying to head south to find his children, aged 4 and 5, who are staying with their grandparents. He said he hadn't been able to contact them since Monday, and the fire line had moved as close as several hundred feet from the grandparents' house.

"We want to get them out before Saturday comes. Predictions are pretty bad for Saturday," he said. "Not knowing is pretty scary -- we don't know how they're going."

Authorities are working to clear the backlog and reach the cut-off areas. In neighboring Victoria state, there are 24 such isolated communities, according to Premier Daniel Andrews -- including the town of Mallacoota, where thousands of residents fled their homes to seek refuge at the beach on Monday.

A navy vessel will make multiple trips in Mallacoota on Friday to transport up to 800 residents and tourists to an unspecified safe location, Andrews said Thursday. Air evacuations could also happen once dense smoke begins to move away from the area.

Scenes from the ground show military personnel in trucks and rubber dinghies, rescuing stranded residents and shrouded in yellow haze.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Thursday that the federal government was also sending resources when requested by states, including additional funding and military support from the Australian Defence Force. He warned that many areas were difficult for emergency personnel to safely access, and urged residents to remain calm and patient.

Climate change and the fire crisis

The Australian fires have been burning for months now, and aren't likely to stop anytime soon -- Australia is still in the early months of summer, and temperatures typically peak in January and February. "The fire season still has a long time to run," Morrison said in a news conference.

A total of 17 people have died across the country so far, with the most damage concentrated in NSW. Across the state, nearly 1,300 homes have been destroyed and another 442 damaged, according to the Rural Fire Service. Fires have consumed entire towns and ripped through bushland; the strong winds frequently change directions, which fan the flames and carry embers far distances.

The changing winds are forecast to continue from Friday into Saturday, hampering firefighting efforts and causing uncontained fires to spread, according to CNN meteorologists. Meanwhile, air quality will continue to deteriorate in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne, large urban hubs smothered in thick smoke and haze. Conditions aren't expected to improve until Monday, when rain could bring some relief.

Australia typically has a fire season during the dry, hot summer -- but this year's weather conditions are more extreme, leading to more devastating blazes. The country is gripped by one of the worst droughts in decades, and a heatwave broke nationwide records in December.

Experts say climate change has worsened the scale and impact of the fires, and many have accused the Morrison administration of not doing enough to address the climate crisis. In December, a woman dumped the remnants of her fire-ravaged home in front of the Australian parliament, accusing Morrison and lawmakers of failing to act.

Morrison faced heat from those living in the middle of the bushfire danger zone Thursday on what was supposed to be a visit with victims.

One woman said she would only shake his hand in order to get more money for the Rural Fire Service while another group yelled out "you're an idiot" and "piss off" as he walked away from them while on a stop in the town of Cobargo.

Morrison said Thursday his government aimed to "meet and beat our emissions reduction targets" -- but added that it would stick to "sensible" policies that "don't move toward either extreme."

"The suggestion that there is a single policy, whether it be climate or otherwise, (that) can provide a complete insurance policy on fires in Australia -- well, I don't think any Australian has ever understood that was the case in this country," he said.

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2020-01-02 11:54:00Z
52780530786337

New South Wales declares a 7-day state of emergency as Australia's deadly bushfires rage - CNN

State Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Thursday that the emergency declaration would come into effect Friday morning as weather conditions are expected to deteriorate significantly on Saturday, raising the fire danger even further.

This is the third time NSW has declared a state of emergency in as many months -- the last two times, in November and December, were also for seven days, and granted extraordinary powers to the Rural Fire Service.

Berejiklian said residents could also be subject to forced evacuations, road closures and any other means necessary to keep people safe.

"We want to make sure we are taking every single precaution to be prepared for what could be a horrible day on Saturday," she said.

Thousands of people were already fleeing the state's south coast on Thursday, with the Rural Fire Service setting up a "tourist leave zone" from the town of Batemans Bay down to the Victoria border. All visitors were urged to evacuate before Saturday, when temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), dry conditions and ferocious winds are expected to heighten the risk of further blazes.

"These will be dangerous conditions," the fire service warned. "Do not be in this area on Saturday."

Thousands are evacuating from the coast

Similar hot, windy weather on Tuesday led to massive fires spreading out of control. Seven people died from the fires within 24 hours. Conditions improved slightly on Thursday -- creating a small window of opportunity for people to evacuate before the situation worsens again Saturday.

Tens of thousands of people are estimated to be in the south coast region, home to seaside towns that swell in population during summer.

Residents on Thursday were heeding the warning. Hundreds if not thousands of cars were backed up in small towns south of Nowra, on the southern coast, according to police. Roads away from the tourist area were packed with long lines of cars waiting to leave, and one major road heading south beyond Nowra was closed due to a fire that jumped the highway.

Some people had been waiting in line for hours and were getting frustrated, with little indication of when the road will open.

Nowra resident Trevor Garland was one of those trying to head south -- his 16-year-old daughter was stranded in the NSW town Sussex Inlet, where she was visiting a friend.

"The big picture is one road in, one road out," he told CNN on Thursday. "I'm going to wait here all night if I have to."

Rob O'Neill had been waiting for six hours at the roadblock. He was also trying to head south to find his children, aged 4 and 5, who are staying with their grandparents. He said he hadn't been able to contact them since Monday, and the fire line had moved as close as several hundred feet from the grandparents' house.

"We want to get them out before Saturday comes. Predictions are pretty bad for Saturday," he said. "Not knowing is pretty scary -- we don't know how they're going."

Authorities are working to clear the backlog and reach the cut-off areas. In neighboring Victoria state, there are 24 such isolated communities, according to Premier Daniel Andrews -- including the town of Mallacoota, where thousands of residents fled their homes to seek refuge at the beach on Monday.

A navy vessel will make multiple trips in Mallacoota on Friday to transport up to 800 residents and tourists to an unspecified safe location, Andrews said Thursday. Air evacuations could also happen once dense smoke begins to move away from the area.

Scenes from the ground show military personnel in trucks and rubber dinghies, rescuing stranded residents and shrouded in yellow haze.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Thursday that the federal government was also sending resources when requested by states, including additional funding and military support from the Australian Defence Force. He warned that many areas were difficult for emergency personnel to safely access, and urged residents to remain calm and patient.

Climate change and the fire crisis

The Australian bushfires have been burning for months now, and aren't likely to stop anytime soon -- Australia is still in the early months of summer, and temperatures typically peak in January and February. "The fire season still has a long time to run," Morrison said in a news conference.

A total of 17 people have died across the country so far, with the most damage concentrated in NSW. Across the state, nearly 1,300 homes have been destroyed and another 442 damaged, according to the Rural Fire Service. Fires have consumed entire towns and ripped through bushland; the strong winds frequently change directions, which fan the flames and carry embers far distances.

The changing winds are forecast to continue from Friday into Saturday, hampering firefighting efforts and causing uncontained fires to spread, according to CNN meteorologists. Meanwhile, air quality will continue to deteriorate in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne, large urban hubs smothered in thick smoke and haze. Conditions aren't expected to improve until Monday, when rain could bring some relief.

Australia typically has a fire season during the dry, hot summer -- but this year's weather conditions are more extreme, leading to more devastating blazes. The country is gripped by one of the worst droughts in decades, and a heatwave broke nationwide records in December.

Experts say climate change has worsened the scale and impact of the fires, and many have accused the Morrison administration of not doing enough to address the climate crisis. In December, a woman dumped the remnants of her fire-ravaged home in front of the Australian parliament, accusing Morrison and lawmakers of failing to act.

On Thursday, Morrison said the government aimed to "meet and beat our emissions reduction targets" -- but added that it would stick to "sensible" policies that "don't move toward either extreme."

"The suggestion that there is a single policy, whether it be climate or otherwise, (that) can provide a complete insurance policy on fires in Australia -- well, I don't think any Australian has ever understood that was the case in this country," he said.

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2020-01-02 09:34:00Z
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Australia's deadly wildfires are showing no signs of stopping. Here's what you need to know - CNN

A total of 17 people have died nationwide, and in the state of New South Wales alone, more than 900 houses have been destroyed. State and federal authorities are struggling to contain the massive blazes, even with firefighting assistance from other countries, including the United States.

All this has been exacerbated by persistent heat and drought, and many point to climate change as a factor making natural disasters go from bad to worse.

Where are the fires?

There have been fires in every Australian state, but New South Wales has been hardest hit.

Blazes have torn through bushland, wooded areas, and national parks like the Blue Mountains. Some of Australia's largest cities have also been affected, including Melbourne and Sydney -- where fires have damaged homes in the outer suburbs and thick plumes of smoke have blanketed the urban center. Earlier in December, the smoke was so bad in Sydney that air quality measured 11 times the "hazardous" level.

The fires range in area from small blazes -- isolated buildings or part of a neighborhood -- to massive infernos that occupy entire hectares of land. Some start and are contained in a matter of days, but the biggest blazes have been burning for months.

What is causing the fires?

Each year there is a fire season during the Australian summer, with hot, dry weather making it easy for blazes to start and spread.

Natural causes are to blame most of the time, like lightning strikes in drought-affected forests. Dry lightning was responsible for starting a number of fires in Victoria's East Gippsland region in late December, which then traveled more than 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) in just five hours, according to state agency Victoria Emergency.

Other places like California and Indonesia also have regular fire seasons -- but Australian bushfires are unique because they often carry embers on the wind and start fresh blazes far away from the original fire front.

Humans can also be to blame. In November, the NSW Rural Fire Service arrested a 19-year-old volunteer member on suspicion of arson, charging him with seven counts of deliberately setting fires over a six-week period.

Why are the fires so bad?

Fire season in Australia is always dangerous -- the 2009 Black Saturday fires killed 173 people in Victoria, making it the deadliest bushfire disaster on record. But conditions have been unusually severe this year, fanning the flames and making firefighting conditions particularly difficult.

Australia is experiencing one of its worst droughts in decades -- the country's Bureau of Meteorology said in December that last spring was the driest on record. Meanwhile, a heatwave in December broke the record for highest nationwide average temperature, with some places sweltering under temperatures well above 40 degrees Celsius (about 113-120 degrees Fahrenheit).

Strong winds have also made the fires and smoke spread more rapidly, and have led to fatalities -- a 28-year-old volunteer firefighter died in NSW in December after his truck rolled over in high winds.

Experts say climate change has worsened the scope and impact of natural disasters like fires and floods -- weather conditions are growing more extreme, and for years, the fires have been starting earlier in the season and spreading with greater intensity.

Several high-ranking emergency service officials, including the former commissioner of the NSW Fire and Rescue Department, sent letters to Prime Minister Scott Morrison in 2019 warning of the impact of the climate crisis on Australia.

What has been the damage so far?

Entire towns have been engulfed in flames, and residents across several states have lost their homes. The heaviest structural damage occurred in NSW, the country's most populated state, where close to 1,300 homes have been destroyed and over 440 damaged.

The fires have burned 3.6 million hectares (8.9 million acres) of land in NSW, 1.2 million hectares (2.9 million acres) in Western Australia, 784,000 hectares (1.9 million acres) in Victoria, at least 250,000 hectares (618,000 acres) in Queensland, and more than 91,000 hectares (225,000 acres) in South Australia, according to the states' fire authorities.

In total, more than 5.9 million hectares (14.6 million acres) have been burned -- an area larger than the countries of Belgium and Haiti combined.

To put that into perspective, this year's Amazon rainforest fires burned under a million hectares. In California, which is known for its deadly wildfires, just over 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) burned in 2019, and about 404,680 hectares (1 million acres) in 2018.

A total of 17 people across Australia have died this fire season, including several volunteer firefighters.

There has also been extensive damage to wildlife and ecology. Almost a third of koalas in NSW may have been killed in the fires, and a third of their habitat has been destroyed, said Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley.

What is being done?

State and federal authorities have been working to combat the fire crisis for months.

NSW declared a state of emergency in December, which grants "extraordinary powers" to the NSWRFS commissioner, including the authority to allocate government resources and direct government agencies in taking action. The state of Queensland also briefly declared a state of emergency in November.

There are 2,000 firefighters working on the ground in NSW alone, and more support is on the way -- the US, Canada, and New Zealand have sent additional firefighters to help.

The federal government has also sent in military assistance like army personnel, air force aircraft, and navy cruisers for firefighting, search and rescue, and clean-up efforts.

Morrison said his administration was allocating at least 23 million Australian dollars ($16.2 million) in disaster recovery payments to affected families and businesses, and up to 6,000 Australian dollars ($4,200) each for volunteer firefighters called out to fight fires for more than 10 days.

When will the fires end?

Unfortunately, Australia is only just entering its summer season. Normally, temperatures peak in January and February, meaning the country could be months away from finding relief.

The fires are unlikely to end entirely since they are an annually occurring event -- and may even get worse if recent years are a guide.

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2020-01-02 08:17:00Z
52780530786337

Australia's deadly wildfires are showing no signs of stopping. Here's what you need to know - CNN

A total of 17 people have died nationwide, and in the state of New South Wales alone, more than 900 houses have been destroyed. State and federal authorities are struggling to contain the massive blazes, even with firefighting assistance from other countries, including the United States.

All this has been exacerbated by persistent heat and drought, and many point to climate change as a factor making natural disasters go from bad to worse.

Where are the fires?

There have been fires in every Australian state, but New South Wales has been hardest hit.

Blazes have torn through bushland, wooded areas, and national parks like the Blue Mountains. Some of Australia's largest cities have also been affected, including Melbourne and Sydney -- where fires have damaged homes in the outer suburbs and thick plumes of smoke have blanketed the urban center. Earlier in December, the smoke was so bad in Sydney that air quality measured 11 times the "hazardous" level.

The fires range in area from small blazes -- isolated buildings or part of a neighborhood -- to massive infernos that occupy entire hectares of land. Some start and are contained in a matter of days, but the biggest blazes have been burning for months.

What is causing the fires?

Each year there is a fire season during the Australian summer, with hot, dry weather making it easy for blazes to start and spread.

Natural causes are to blame most of the time, like lightning strikes in drought-affected forests. Dry lightning was responsible for starting a number of fires in Victoria's East Gippsland region in late December, which then traveled more than 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) in just five hours, according to state agency Victoria Emergency.

Other places like California and Indonesia also have regular fire seasons -- but Australian bushfires are unique because they often carry embers on the wind and start fresh blazes far away from the original fire front.

Humans can also be to blame. In November, the NSW Rural Fire Service arrested a 19-year-old volunteer member on suspicion of arson, charging him with seven counts of deliberately setting fires over a six-week period.

Why are the fires so bad?

Fire season in Australia is always dangerous -- the 2009 Black Saturday fires killed 173 people in Victoria, making it the deadliest bushfire disaster on record. But conditions have been unusually severe this year, fanning the flames and making firefighting conditions particularly difficult.

Australia is experiencing one of its worst droughts in decades -- the country's Bureau of Meteorology said in December that last spring was the driest on record. Meanwhile, a heatwave in December broke the record for highest nationwide average temperature, with some places sweltering under temperatures well above 40 degrees Celsius (about 113-120 degrees Fahrenheit).

Strong winds have also made the fires and smoke spread more rapidly, and have led to fatalities -- a 28-year-old volunteer firefighter died in NSW in December after his truck rolled over in high winds.

Experts say climate change has worsened the scope and impact of natural disasters like fires and floods -- weather conditions are growing more extreme, and for years, the fires have been starting earlier in the season and spreading with greater intensity.

Several high-ranking emergency service officials, including the former commissioner of the NSW Fire and Rescue Department, sent letters to Prime Minister Scott Morrison in 2019 warning of the impact of the climate crisis on Australia.

What has been the damage so far?

Entire towns have been engulfed in flames, and residents across several states have lost their homes. The heaviest structural damage occurred in NSW, the country's most populated state, where close to 1,300 homes have been destroyed and over 440 damaged.

The fires have burned 3.6 million hectares (8.9 million acres) of land in NSW, 1.2 million hectares (2.9 million acres) in Western Australia, 784,000 hectares (1.9 million acres) in Victoria, at least 250,000 hectares (618,000 acres) in Queensland, and more than 91,000 hectares (225,000 acres) in South Australia, according to the states' fire authorities.

In total, more than 5.9 million hectares (14.6 million acres) have been burned -- an area larger than the countries of Belgium and Haiti combined.

To put that into perspective, this year's Amazon rainforest fires burned under a million hectares. In California, which is known for its deadly wildfires, just over 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) burned in 2019, and about 404,680 hectares (1 million acres) in 2018.

A total of 17 people across Australia have died this fire season, including several volunteer firefighters.

There has also been extensive damage to wildlife and ecology. Almost a third of koalas in NSW may have been killed in the fires, and a third of their habitat has been destroyed, said Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley.

What is being done?

State and federal authorities have been working to combat the fire crisis for months.

NSW declared a state of emergency in December, which grants "extraordinary powers" to the NSWRFS commissioner, including the authority to allocate government resources and direct government agencies in taking action. The state of Queensland also briefly declared a state of emergency in November.

There are 2,000 firefighters working on the ground in NSW alone, and more support is on the way -- the US, Canada, and New Zealand have sent additional firefighters to help.

The federal government has also sent in military assistance like army personnel, air force aircraft, and navy cruisers for firefighting, search and rescue, and clean-up efforts.

Morrison said his administration was allocating at least 23 million Australian dollars ($16.2 million) in disaster recovery payments to affected families and businesses, and up to 6,000 Australian dollars ($4,200) each for volunteer firefighters called out to fight fires for more than 10 days.

When will the fires end?

Unfortunately, Australia is only just entering its summer season. Normally, temperatures peak in January and February, meaning the country could be months away from finding relief.

The fires are unlikely to end entirely since they are an annually occurring event -- and may even get worse if recent years are a guide.

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2020-01-02 07:42:00Z
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