It looks apocalyptic, Down Under. Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes in the state of Western Australia this week when wildfires ripped through an area near the city of Perth, just as the city began a strict shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Officials say the Wooroloo Fire, which has a circumference of 50 miles (80 kilometers), doubled in size overnight and has almost destroyed it 20,000 hectares. More than 70 homes have been lost since the fire started Monday night, inclusive 80% of all properties in one rural area.
In a media briefing Wednesday, Western Australia Prime Minister Mark McGowan said the state was in an “unprecedented situation”.
“We are fighting disasters on two fronts: the devastating wildfires and the Covid-19 pandemic,” said McGowan.
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The city and parts of Western Australia have been shut down for five days after a security guard at a hotel used as a quarantine facility in Perth Tested positive for coronavirus on Monday. This may seem like an exaggeration for just one case, but these types of aggressive measures have kept Australia’s total deaths in the pandemic level. less than 1,000.
Quarantine in Australia’s fourth-largest city was set to be lifted Friday, but officials told residents evacuation orders and personal safety during the fire nullified all government pandemic bailout orders. The US has faced a similar situation in the last year (minus the lockdown stuff) as wildfires ripped across the west, forcing widespread evacuations even as the pandemic raged. Fortunately, the pandemic in Australia is under better control, but the evacuations threaten to upset the delicate balance the country has achieved.
“Let me be clear: I urge people to stay informed and prepare,” said Chris Dawson, Western Australia Police Commissioner residents told Wednesday. “If you are threatened, leave your property and move to suitable premises. Do not stay in the property if you feel you have to abide by the covid-19 rules. “
Summer has arrived in Australia and the wildfire season has become increasingly destructive as the planet warms. Devastating burn last year killed at least 34 people and burned more than 48 million acres. Scientists estimate that a astonishing 3 billion animals also died or were expelled, leaving 113 species to the verge of extinction.
Last year it was off the land fourth hottest year on recordThe Australian weather agency said last month. For Western Australia, the ranking was even higher as the state experienced its second-hottest year. Lesley Hughes, an Australian climate council member and bushfire expert, said in a statement statement that “very little rain has fallen in the southwest in recent months compared to the rest of the country. This is part of a long-lasting drought trend, with winter rainfall declining by 20 percent since the 1970s. ”
This is in line with the growing plight not just for the state, but across Australia. A report released last year showed that climate change exacerbated the hot, dry conditions that led to the intense wildfire season by as much as 30 percent. Rising temperatures only make the landscape more flammable.