Bushfire In Central Australia Sweeps Near Popular Tourist Town (www.pixabay.com/photos)
A huge bush fire that has been raging for over a week in Central Australia has come dangerously close to the popular tourist town of Tennant Creek.
With the changing wind conditions, authorities initiated warnings of high risk to the residents, reported CNN.
An emergency situation was already declared for the entire Barkly local government area on Tuesday by the Acting Northern Territory Chief Minister Nicole Manison.
Tennant Creek, the seventh largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia, is home to about 3,000 people. It is a famous tourist spot and a favorite place for travelers to stop and rest as they drive through the outback along the Stuart Highway between Alice Springs and Darwin.
The authorities put parts of the region, including Tennant Creek under a “watch and act” alert on Wednesday.
A “watch and act” alert, according to the territory government, indicates a “heightened” threat level where conditions are changing and residents should start taking action to protect themselves and their families.
Authorities have expected that Wednesday would be the most critical, considering the changing wind conditions, including a shift in its direction and speed.
“By late Wednesday, the fire had breached containment lines to the north and south of the town. The fire was “30 or 40 kilometers away from Tennant Creek itself”, Chief Fire Controller Tony Fuller said to Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
According to Mr Fuller, the “fire is going to cause a lot more grief” as strong winds coming from the east had started to “push the fire at a rapid rate”.
Government sought extra support from South Australia and a fresh pack of fire crews joined the team by Wednesday afternoon.
According to James Gray-Spence, acting commander for Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services, members of the Australian Defence Force were also on site earlier Wednesday “cutting though known tracks” to slow the fire’s spread. Mr Gray-Spense was speaking to the ABC radio.
He added that the situation is in hand but the ultimate impact of the fire would depend on the weather.
The situation comes just weeks after the Australasian Fire Authorities Council, the national council for fire and emergency services in Australia and New Zealand, predicted an increased risk of bushfires across Australia, and especially for areas in the Northern Territory, due in large part to climate change.
“We’ve had large [fires] in the past, but this is the largest one I’ve had to deal with”, Mr Fuller told ABC on Sunday.
Earlier on this week, the Northern Territory Bureau of Meteorology forecasted extreme fire danger for several areas within the territory.
Extreme Fire Danger is forecast for the Darwin and Adelaide River, Gregory South East and Barkly North.
Follow the advice from PFES and BFNT for fire preparedness and safety.
Stay up to date with the latest fire weather forecasts: https://t.co/Wcu4bqpQHu pic.twitter.com/pbrG0lT6yW
— Bureau of Meteorology, Northern Territory (@BOM_NT) September 9, 2023
The state is experiencing a dry period, with temperatures in August above average combined with rainfall 94% below the 1961-1990 average, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, CNN reported.
