Heat wave leads to warnings of potentially devastating wildfires in southern Australia
Associated PressNEWCASTLE, Australia — Communities and firefighters across Australia’s second-most populous state were preparing Thursday for potentially devastating wild fires as a heat wave fanned by erratic winds presented the worst fire conditions in several years. “Firefighters, I can say, are doing everything possible to protect life and protect property.” An emergency warning was issued by fire authorities for the small town of Mafeking, 260 kilometers west of Melbourne, on Thursday. Parts of neighboring South Australia and New South Wales states are also on high alert due to the heat wave and elevated fire risks. The hot, dry conditions are being compared to the Black Summer fires that gripped Australia’s two most populous states for months in 2019-20 and burned through 104 thousand square kilometers, an area roughly the size of Ohio, and destroyed thousands of homes and killed 33 people.