Thousands evacuated from Australian tourist haven as bushfires rage

 

A volunteer from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service works to extinguish spot fires following back burning operations in Mount Hay, in Australia’s Blue Mountains, December 28, 2019. REUTERS/Jill Gralow

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Thousands of residents and holiday makers have been told to evacuate a swathe of Victoria as soaring temperatures and strong winds fan massive bushfires in the Australian state.

 

With the mercury set to top 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in Melbourne, authorities urged an estimated 30,000 tourists to leave East Gippsland, an area half the size of Belgium.

 

The fire danger is forecast to be extreme in seven of the state's nine districts and threatened to close the Princes Highway, a major road artery in the region.

 

The warm front is heading rapidly into New South Wales (NSW), with temperatures expected to spike on New Year's Eve as hundreds of thousands gather around the harbour city of Sydney to watch its famous firework celebrations.

 

Almost 900 homes have been ruined and 3.48 million hectares (8.6 million acres) of land burnt in NSW this bushfire season, while Sydney has been smothered by smoke for weeks on end.

 

There had been fears the fireworks might have to be cancelled, but authorities so far are planning to push ahead with the show.

 

Fire warnings also stretched from Western Australia through South Australia to Tasmania, in what has already been one of the toughest bushfire seasons on record.

 

Bowing to political pressure, the federal government said on Sunday it would compensate volunteer firefighters for loss of income given the intensity of this year's bushfire season.

 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said payments of up to A$6,000 ($4,186) would be available for eligible crews who had spent more than 10 days in the field this season.

 

Morrison returned home early from holidaying in Hawaii ahead of Christmas amid criticism his government was doing too little to address climate change and a country-wide drought.

 

(Reporting by Wayne Cole; Editing by Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-12-30

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Good luck with those fires you are in my thoughts and heart

 

 

people would be wishing they had limited their excursion planning, to Lakes Entrance...  

- at least there could be some theoretical escape... by fishing boat  

 

Emergency Vic Fire Map

 

 

According to today's 'Oz', thousands of tourists in & around Lake's Entrance are now trapped (except no doubt by costly boat & helicopter - guess who pays), having ignored warnings 2 days ago to leave.

 

There is no end to human stupidity.

On 12/31/2019 at 11:57 AM, mfd101 said:

According to today's 'Oz', thousands of tourists in & around Lake's Entrance are now trapped (except no doubt by costly boat & helicopter - guess who pays), having ignored warnings 2 days ago to leave.

 

There is no end to human stupidity.

yeah... mooting escape from noun Lakes Entrance, on the fishing boat scenario a coupla days ago, might be closer to the truth eh! 

 - more practical than boating on the Lakes themselves, to the West... as the entire lakes districts are involved

 

except:

 - trouble with fishing boats; is the Tide/Rip governed Entrance journey is a scary one for the uninitiated, and that they only carry dead cargo on a one way trip

 

If I was stuck there... for me it'd be a tent on the 90Mile, and stay surf fishing...