Fires in Australia
Fires in Australia
11 January 2008
Since December 2007 Australia has been hit by a series of fires ravaging through the whole continent. One of the regions most affected was Kangaroo Island off the southern coast of Australia where the fires scorched during one week more than 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) and claimed at least one human life.
In the Goldfield’s fire in Western Australia three men died in a firestorm when they were trapped in their trucks after vehicles were allowed through a section of the Great Eastern Highway despite warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology of an expected significant wind change in the area.
The fire, which lasted more than two weeks, has burned about 45,000ha in the Boorabbin National Park and surrounding areas between Southern Cross and Coolgardie.
Bushfires rages also in Tasmania and Victoria. Authorities have warned Victoria is facing a high-risk and aggressive bushfire season that could last as late as April.
Information obtained from the Sentinel Fire mapping system provides the following fire location data in Australia for 11 January 2008.
Sentinel Fire Mapping is a mapping tool designed to provide timely fire location data to emergency service managers across Australia. The mapping system allows users to identify fire locations that pose a potential risk to communities and property (Source: sentinel1.ga.gov.au)
The current situation in Australia is covered by a number of detailed reports (see GFMC Media web page):
- Farmer charged with starting bushfire (published by www.news.com.au, 11 January 2008)
- Bushfire survival in a car (published by www.sciencealert.com.au, 10 January 2008)
- Post-bushfire tours plan for KI (published by www.abc.net.au, 9 January 2008)
- Fatal bushfire under control (published by www.news.com.au, 9 January 2008)
- Firefighters on alert for temperatures as high as 43C (published by www.news.com.au, 9 January 2008)
- Transport costs soar after bushfire (published by www.abc.net.au, 9 January 2008)
- Bushfires: Will we never learn? (published by www.news.com.au, 8 January 2008)
- Modern cars ‘bushfire death traps’ (published by www.news.com.au, 8 January 2008)
- Great Eastern Hwy still closed after fires (published by www.news.com.au, 7 January 2008)
- Australian climate changing, experts say (published by afp.google.com, 6 January 2008)
- Bushfire threat high despite recent rain (published by media-newswire.com, 4 January 2008)
- Kangaroo Island tourism suffering (published by www.abc.net.au, 4 January 2008)
- Homes destroyed, residents flee as massive bushfire roars in (published by www.thewest.com.au, 4 January 2008)
- Fire seasons more extreme (published by www.theage.com.au, 4 January 2008)
- Fires and floods rage over country (published by www.theaustralian.news.com.au, 4 January 2008)
Further Information on the Fire Situation in Australia:
SA Country Fire Service http://www.cfs.org.au/ Near-Real Time Wildland Fire Monitoring https://gfmc.online/current/au_ciro.htm Current weather situation, forecasts, fireweather http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/tas/ More Information on Australian Fires IFFN country notes Further Information Australian and New Zealand links Background information Recent Media Highlights on Fire, Policies, and Politics
