Bushfires were burning dangerously out of control on Australia’s east coast on Saturday. Fueled by soaring temperatures and strong winds that had firefighters battling to save lives and property.
Authorities have said conditions could be worse than New Year’s Eve on Tuesday. When fires burnt massive tracts of bushland and forced thousands of residents and summer holidaymakers to seek refuge on beaches. The government announced an unprecedented call up of army reservists to support firefighters. As well other resources including a third navy ship equipped for disaster and humanitarian relief.
There have been quite a few human casualties and the bushfires have burned nearly 5 million hectares of land. Australia saw the hottest and driest season this year. With the temperature reaching almost 50 degrees Celsius in the last month.
The Bushfires are also having an extreme effect on the wildlife of Australia. According to reports over 8,000 koalas, which is approximately 30 per cent of the total population in NSW‘s mid-North Coast region have been lost due to fire.
Ecologists from the University of Sydney believe, over 480 million birds, animals and reptiles have already been lost because of the fires.
Netizens have also taken to the internet to share images and videos of the Bushfires. To show the world what exactly is happening in Australia and it’s heart-breaking to see.
