‘Soul destroying’: Australia’s bush fires are about to ‘take off again’, scientists warn
- Don’t be fooled by the brief lull – authorities warn more ‘extreme fire weather’ is on its way, fuelled by drought, high temperatures and winds
- Since September, 24 people have died, nearly 2,000 homes have been destroyed and an area of land roughly the size of Scotland has been burned
A bush fire came so close to destroying Kate Shone’s home on New Year’s Eve that the flames left singed leaves in her backyard.
“I haven’t unpacked my car. People have been told to prepare themselves again,” she said. “We have apps on our phones that show us where the fires are and the wind direction.”
Shone, who lives in Swan Reach, a small rural town about 300km (186 miles) east of Melbourne, is among the many Australians bracing for the worst in the coming days, as they refuse to be lulled into a false sense of security by the improved conditions since Sunday that have allowed blocked roads to be reopened, evacuation orders lifted and stranded people removed to safety, including 400 who were airlifted out of the small tourist town of Mallacoota.
After downgrading all emergency-level blazes at the start of the week, authorities have now warned that wildfires will “take off again” from Friday as the mercury rises above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the country’s two most populous states.