Australia declares state of emergency as heat records topple, fires rage

‘Catastrophic weather conditions’ caused the emergency to be declared in New South Wales, with temperatures nearing 50 degrees Celsius

At least three million hectares of land has been torched across Australia in recent months, with six people killed and more than 800 homes destroyed

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A home is lost to a bush fire in southwest Sydney as a huge blaze threatens communities across New South Wales. Photo: EPA

Published: 6:23pm, 19 Dec 2019Updated: 6:23pm, 19 Dec 2019

A state of emergency was declared in Australia’s most populated region on Thursday as an unprecedented heatwave fanned out-of-control bush fires, destroying homes and smothering huge areas with a toxic smoke.

As thousands of firefighters battled blazes, temperatures neared 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in some places and authorities warned the extreme weather conditions could get even worse.

Smoke from a bush fire approaches a petrol station near the town of Tahmoor in New South Wales. Photo: EPA

Australia endures bush fires every year but the early and intense start to this season, along with the record temperatures, has fuelled concerns about global warming.

In New South Wales, Australia’s most populated state with Sydney as its capital, more than 100 bush fires were burning on Thursday, many of them out of control.

New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian declared a seven-day state of emergency, the second since the bush fire season began early in September, because of “catastrophic weather conditions”.

A bush fire burns on a property in Balmoral, 150 kilometres southwest of Sydney. Photo: AFP