‘Leave now’: Australians urged to evacuate as ‘catastrophic’ fires loom 0 SHARES Share it! Share TweetBy ReutersAuthorities declared a state of emergency across a broad swath of Australia’s east coast on Monday, urging residents in high risk areas to evacuate ahead of looming “catastrophic” fire conditions. NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons urged people to evacuate before conditions worsened, warning that new fires can begin up to 20km (12 miles) ahead of established fires. Authorities stressed that even fireproofed homes will not be able to withstand catastrophic conditions, which Fitzsimmons described as “when lives are lost, it’s where people die”. The fires have already had a devastating impact on Australia’s wildlife, with about 350 koalas feared dead in a major habitat.

Source: Manila Bulletin November 11, 2019 13:24 UTC