In the Northern Territory of Australia, in the Barclay region, devastating forest fires have burned an area of ten thousand square kilometers for more than a week, and continue to spread towards Tennant Creek.
Photograph: Robert Harding/AFP
Northern Territory Fire Chief Tony Fuller told a news conference on Wednesday evening that they were battling the fire from the air and water bombs, and that firefighters transferred from South Australia were also helping to contain the blaze. According to his statement, the fires in the Barclay area, a thousand kilometers south of Darwin, have already destroyed an area of 10,000 square kilometers, and are extending further towards Tennant Creek in the west due to winds reaching a speed of 50 kilometers per hour.
Lines were set up around the small town of 3,000 people to slow the fire’s spread and protect the city, but Fuller said, the fire broke through some of the lines.
The Northern Territory Government declared a state of emergency in Tennant Creek on Tuesday, giving authorities greater powers to deal with potential evacuations. However, according to Fuller, there are no plans to evacuate residents at the moment.
Tourists beg to return to scorched MauiWithout guests, Hawaii Island’s economy could not recover after the catastrophic fire. |
