‘CATASTROPHIC’

Catastrophic Fire Warning in Place for Sydney as at Least 71 Wildfires Burn in Australia

At least 71 fires are burning across Australia’s most populous state, 11 of which were rated as emergencies.

A catastrophic fire warning is in place for Sydney, Australia’s largest city, and the country’s most populous state, New South Wales, is under a weeklong state of emergency due to numerous wildfires that have already killed three people and destroyed more than 150 homes. At least 71 fires are burning across the state, 11 of which were rated as emergencies and were burning out of control by Tuesday afternoon, fueled by strong winds with gusts of up to 55 mph. Seven separate emergency fire warnings have been issued for cities and towns throughout the state Tuesday morning, which are issued when a fire is imminently threatening a community or has broken through fire fighters’ containment lines. The state’s emergency declaration gives the Rural Fire Service the ability to control resources and direct other government agencies in efforts to battle the fires.