Story at a glance
- Australia is having one of the worst fire seasons on record.
- The fires have trapped thousands of people on a remote beach, their escape routes cut off by the flames.
- 2019 was the hottest and driest year on record in Australia.
On New Years Eve, the wildfires raging in southeastern Australia had trapped thousands on a remote beach. Now, the Australian Navy is set to evacuate a portion of the some 4,000 people cut off from escape by the encroaching flames, the Washington Post reports.
For days prior, authorities had urged the roughly 30,000 tourists in the beach town of Mallacoota, Victoria state to leave the area. But even as smoke stained the sky of the popular vacation spot an apocalyptic red, some hoped to stick it out, only to become hemmed in by fire on all sides.
To evacuate the thousands now unable to flee on land, a navy ship capable of carrying 700 people has anchored offshore. On Jan. 2, officials were forced to divvy up those gathered on the beach by who could and could not climb the ladders required to board the navy ship from smaller boats. Those seeking evacuation who can’t manage the ladder climb will be airlifted to safety by helicopter.
More than 200 fires are active in southeast Australia, and since they began in October some 17 people have been killed. Another 17 are missing, and upwards of 1,000 homes and structures have been destroyed.
Firefighters are hoping for significant rain to douse the flames, but current forecasts predict 100-degree-plus temperatures and high winds in the coming days. These conditions will fan the existing flames and could ignite new fires.
The families now trapped in Mallacoota hugged one another and sobbed as they weighed whether to stay with their vehicles and belongings and wait for the fires to burn out, which could take weeks, or to abandon possessions and take the opportunity to evacuate.
To the north, in the state of New South Wales, officials also warned of dangerous and fast-moving blazes.
“These fires moved quickly this morning. They pose a serious threat to life. Do not be in their path. Avoid bushland areas. If the path is clear, move to larger towns or beaches to take shelter,” New South Wales Rural Fire Service said.
Australia has a history of wildfires, but this is far and away the most devastating fire season in decades. The past year was the hottest and driest ever recorded in Australia, and scientists have linked the length and severity of this catastrophic wildfire season to climate change. More than 14.6 million acres have burned — an area almost the size of West Virginia.
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