‘As Bad As It Gets’: Australian Bushfires Reach ‘Catastrophic’ Levels

Bushfires in Australia have reached “catastrophic” levels, with little hope of respite as the severe heatwave continues. 

The disaster has claimed another life in South Australia, as one person was confirmed to have been killed after 13 homes were destroyed by fire around 25 miles from the state capital of Adelaide. 

It follows the deaths of two volunteer firefighters who were battling blazes in the country’s most populous state of New South Wales (NSW) on Thursday.

Around three million hectares (7.4 million acres) of land has burnt nationwide during a torrid bushfire season, with nine people killed and more than 800 homes destroyed.

Catastrophic fire conditions have been declared in NSW as temperatures were forecast to reach 47C (115F) in western Sydney on Saturday.

NSW Rural Fire Services commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said: “Catastrophic fire conditions are as bad as it gets.

“Given we have a landscape with so much active fire burning, you have a recipe for very serious concern and a very dangerous day.”

With close to 100 fires were burning across NSW, the RFS said some fires were generating their own thunderstorms. Conditions were expected to improve in coming days, before another burst of hot weather in about a week.

“We will not get on top of these fires until we get some decent rain – we have said that for weeks and months,” Fitzsimmons said.

No significant rainfall was expected in the next couple of months, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

In South Australia, authorities said 23 firefighters and several police have also suffered, as more than 40,000 hectares (98,842 acres) of land burnt.