Fires in Australia Claim Human Lives, 500 Million Animals Dead

AUSTRALIA, (Patria) - Fires in Australia have so far claimed 24 lives, and 500 million animals have perished in the blazes. It is suspected that some animal species have been completely destroyed. 

The fires have affected all six Australian states, and it is estimated that more than five million hectares of land have burned so far.

On Saturday, extreme temperatures were recorded in the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Parts of Sydney recorded 48 degrees Celsius and winds of 80 kilometres per hour. On Sunday morning, parts of New South Wales were still without power, with about 170 fires burning in the area.

The Premier of New South Wales stated that in terms of weather conditions, speed, size and damage caused, these fires are "unprecedented".

Authorities in Victoria are continuing mass evacuations with the help of the military, and about fifty fires still threaten that state. New Zealand and Singapore have offered their assistance. 

The fire season in Australia began with the onset of summer heat. The country is facing record-high temperatures, and according to meteorologists' forecasts, Australians still have three extremely hot months ahead.

The catastrophic fire situation has led authorities to rate this season as the worst, and a debate has been sparked over whether the conservative government of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has taken sufficient measures regarding climate change.

More than 20 million Australian dollars (13 million US dollars) was raised for fire services in New South Wales, Australia, in just 48 hours to fight the fires.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison called up 3,000 reserve troops to fight the fires. In Canberra, air quality was rated as the worst in the world, and residents were told to avoid leaving their homes. Australian airline Qantas cancelled flights, the BBC reports.

Morrison, who cancelled a planned visit to India for January 13, said on Sunday that he had established a National Fire Recovery Agency to coordinate recovery efforts. This body will be tasked with helping fire-affected communities recover through work on infrastructure restoration to providing mental health support.