“Catastrophic fire danger” in southeastern Australia “Dzud” rages in Mongolia: more than a million herd animals die in extreme winter

Heavy forest fires have been raging in southeastern Australia for days. But the worst is apparently yet to come: extreme heat combined with strong winds could lead to “catastrophic conditions” in the coming days, AAP news agency wrote on Tuesday, citing authorities. The danger is particularly acute in the Wimmera region west of Melbourne and in five other regions of Victoria state, which are experiencing severe drought.

In some cases, temperatures well above 40 degrees were expected. Tens of thousands of residents must, if possible, be safe by Wednesday morning (local time) at the latest. “I would leave around lunchtime at the latest because the weather conditions get quite bad after noon,” said local fire chief Jason Heffernan.

The intense fire around the city of Ballarat, which has been raging for days, is still not under control. More than 20,000 hectares of land and six houses have already fallen victim to the flames.

Victoria’s Premier Jacinta Allan said it was “probably one of the most dangerous days Victoria has seen in recent years”. As a precaution, almost 100 schools and kindergartens must therefore remain closed on Wednesday. Three national parks were also closed to visitors as a precaution, including the Grampians National Park, which is popular for its beautiful landscapes and rugged mountains. More than 60 fire-fighting aircraft were ready.

Broadcaster 9News reported that the region was threatened with the worst fires since the devastating ‘black summer’ of 2019-2020. During that time, weeks of wildfires destroyed more than twelve million hectares of land, and countless animals were injured, killed or driven from their habitats.

Meanwhile, a forest fire also got out of control in the west of Down Under on Tuesday. Residents of the small town of Australind, south of Perth, were urged to seek safety. The situation was life-threatening, the newspaper ‘The West Australian’ quoted emergency services as saying. About 20,000 people live in the affected region. Firefighters fought the flames on the ground and from the air. (sda/dpa)