Australia in ‘Unchartered Territory’ Amid Bushfire Crisis

Australia in ‘Unchartered Territory’ Amid Bushfire Crisis
Footage of orange sky as bushfires rage across New South Wales, Australia on Nov. 8, 2019. (via Reuters)
Reuters
11/8/2019
Updated:
11/8/2019

A number of towns in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland were evacuated on Friday as bushfires raged across the region.

Emergency-level fire warnings were issued for 17 blazes in New South Wales and three fires at that same level in Queensland.

High winds fanned the flames, turning the sky red in some areas.

“Unfortunately we are in uncharted territory this afternoon. We have never seen this many fires concurrently at emergency warning alert level,” NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.

“We’ve got 90 fires burning across New South Wales. 50 of them remain uncontained.”

So far, 2019 is one of Australia’s worst bushfire seasons, with a record number of emergency warnings.