Published 17:04 IST, December 22nd 2019
Video shows a huge fire moving up cliffside in New South Wales mountains
A video has surfaced on the internet which shows a huge fire erupting up from a cliffside more than 200m high in the New South Wales Mountains, Australia.
A video has surfaced on the internet which shows a huge fire erupting up from a cliffside more than 200 metres high in the New South Wales Mountains. The video footage was posted on the Instagram handle of @Bluemtns_explore that has been continuously tracking and documenting the Australian bushfires. It has a caption that reads, "All fire fighters are currently tackling blazes across the top of the mountain (Mt Vic, Blackheath, Mt Hay, Leura). Keep your notifications switched on for 'Fires Near Me' APP and follow the @nswrfs direction. If you get asked to evacuate, do it #priorities #bluemountains."
According to the international media reports, the video footage shows flames that's part of a 10,000-hectare fire currently burning along the Grose River. It has been rapidly spreading out from the 460,000-hectare mega-fire in the Gospers Mountains. The footage was captured by Bluemtns_explore's Kobe Bryant, who caught the dreadful moment on film.
According to New South Wales Rural Fire Services Commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, the present conditions due to wildfires were of a catastrophic level. He further added that it has been awful for such a thing to happen. Fitzsimmons said that they have been witness to the loss of property, adding that 3,000 firefighters were battling wildfires. According to reports, six wildfires were classified under the emergency level in New South Wales out of which two were raging around Sydney. It was said that conditions were expected to improve with reports suggesting that conditions would worsen again after a week.
Heatwave intensifies in Australia
Temperatures in Australia have become so extreme that the record for the hottest day in Australian history was beaten on two consecutive days. The severe heatwave that has gripped Australia has seen temperatures reaching as high as 41C in some regions of the country. New South Wales has been under a state of emergency where more than 100 fires have erupted and health-related problems have increased at an alarming rate. Hospital admissions have increased due to the severe heat and smoke. The heatwave has tremendously intensified across Australia which resulted in meteorological maps to struggle and the maps have effectively run out of colours. The weather bureau of Australia has expected that the temperatures in southern and central Australia could increase between eight and sixteen degrees higher than the temperatures usually expected at this time of year.
Updated 17:49 IST, December 22nd 2019