On the 9th of February, thousands of fire-fighters in Australia battled the worst fire conditions since the Black Saturday fires killed 173 people in February 2009. Wildfires across the southeastern part of the nation destroyed more than 30 homes and set a coal mine ablaze. The state of Victoria was the worst affected and a blaze reached the outskirts of Melbourne, the country's second largest city. Fire blazes were also reported in South Australia and New South Wales.
Cause of the fire
The weather in Australia was affected as the bush fires lasted for 72 long hours with hot and dry winds soaring temperatures to 41⁰C in Melbourne on Monday.
High temperatures peaking around 40⁰C create a low pressure area on the land while temperature of the adjoining sea remains stable at around 20⁰C. Consequently a high pressure area develops on the sea and this difference of pressure gradient brings strong winds from the sea to the land, aggravating the fire conditions.
Destruction brought
Thanks to relentless effort of fire-fighters, emergency services and rescue squads, till now there has been no evidence of loss of life or any serious injury. The emergency crews worked very hard to save more than 550 properties from a blaze near Melbourne Airport. The government provided shelters for hundreds of people who were forced to flee their homes.
The Prime Minister Tony Abbott said to the local media that the government is ready "to do all we reasonably can to ensure that people get the help they need in these difficult, difficult hours and days."
picture courtesy- Brad Newman
