Tens of thousands of residents were asked to evacuate as firefighters in Australia continued to battle a massive bushfire amid an intense heatwave that authorities said could further spread the blaze in Victoria as it faces the worst fire conditions seen in recent years.&nbsp;

<h2>Thousands urged to evacuate</h2>

More than 30,000 residents were urged to evacuate their homes by Wednesday (Feb 28) morning after officials identified a potential fire impact zone that covers several rural towns.

The authorities in the Australian state issued an emergency warning for a grass fire located at Kleins Road, Dereel, on Wednesday evening asking residents to “Leave Immediately” in a post on X.&nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/wildfires-in-texas-city-calls-for-immediate-evacuation-halts-operations-in-the-nuclear-weapons-facility-694600">Wildfires in Texas: Immediate evacuation ordered, operations at nuclear weapons facility halted</a>

Victoria emergency services, in an update, said strong winds have the potential to make fire fighting difficult and asked residents not to wait “until the bushfire spreads closer before moving to a safer location.”&nbsp;

It added, “The fire could grow significantly and may become uncontrollable.”&nbsp;

As of 4:09 pm (local time) towns of Bayindeen, Ben Nevis, Chute, Elmhurst, Eversley, Glenlogie, Mount Cole, Mount Lonarch, and Raglan were declared “not safe to return”.&nbsp;

<h2>Situation in Victoria</h2>

“Today will be a very challenging day for firefighters,” Jason Heffernan, chief officer at Victoria fire department told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). He added, “Today is one of those days when communities may need to take immediate action at very short notice.”

Hundreds of firefighters continued to battle a massive blaze near the city of Ballarat. So far, the blaze which has been burning since last Thursday (Feb 22) has destroyed six houses, killed livestock, and burned more than 200 square kilometres.&nbsp;

<h2>'Catastrophic conditions'</h2>

According to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), hot, dry, and windy conditions have worsened creating “extreme to catastrophic fire dangers” in parts of Victoria and South Australia. Several thunderstorms are also forecast in the region which would lead to dry lightning.&nbsp;

The Victoria fire department chief warned that dry lightning could spark new fires while strong winds forecast could spread the existing one near Ballarat and urged people to reconsider any decision to stay back to protect their homes.

Catastrophic conditions have been forecast for Victoria’s Wimmera region as half of the state was placed under an extreme fire danger rating.&nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eruption-of-ash-from-popocatepetl-volcano-forces-suspension-of-flights-in-mexico-city-694578">Popocatepetl volcano spews ash, nearly two dozen Mexico City flights cancelled</a>

“Extreme fire dangers are coming to fruition, and in fact we’re currently seeing catastrophic conditions in Casterdon, Hamilton and Kanagulk in the Wimmera weather district,” said Heffernan.&nbsp;

Victorian State Control Centre spokesperson, Luke Hegarty, told the ABC that authorities were on high alert, late Wednesday afternoon as cloud cover lifted, temperatures rose and winds picked up speed.&nbsp;

Temperatures spiked across several towns in Victoria, on Wednesday afternoon. Walpeup, in north-west Victoria, hit 43.5 degrees Celsius and Hopetoun, 400 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, reached 42.6 degrees Celsius, according to the BoM.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Tens of thousands of residents were asked to evacuate as firefighters in Australia continued to battle a massive bushfire amid an intense heatwave that authorities said could further spread the blaze in Victoria as it faces the worst fire conditions seen in recent years.

Tens of thousands of residents were asked to evacuate as firefighters in Australia continued to battle a massive bushfire amid an intense heatwave that authorities said could further spread the blaze in Victoria as it faces the worst fire conditions seen in recent years. Thousands urged to evacuate More than 30,000 residents were urged to evacuate their homes by Wednesday (Feb 28) morning after officials identified a potential fire impact zone that covers several rural towns. The authorities in the Australian state issued an emergency warning for a grass fire located at Kleins Road, Dereel, on Wednesday evening asking residents to “Leave Immediately” in a post on X. Also Read | Wildfires in Texas: Immediate evacuation ordered, operations at nuclear weapons facility halted Victoria emergency services, in an update, said strong winds have the potential to make fire fighting difficult and asked residents not to wait “until the bushfire spreads closer before moving to a safer location.” It added, “The fire could grow significantly and may become uncontrollable.” As of 4:09 pm (local time) towns of Bayindeen, Ben Nevis, Chute, Elmhurst, Eversley, Glenlogie, Mount Cole, Mount Lonarch, and Raglan were declared “not safe to return”. Situation in Victoria “Today will be a very challenging day for firefighters,” Jason Heffernan, chief officer at Victoria fire department told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). He added, “Today is one of those days when communities may need to take immediate action at very short notice.” Hundreds of firefighters continued to battle a massive blaze near the city of Ballarat. So far, the blaze which has been burning since last Thursday (Feb 22) has destroyed six houses, killed livestock, and burned more than 200 square kilometres. 'Catastrophic conditions' According to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), hot, dry, and windy conditions have worsened creating “extreme to catastrophic fire dangers” in parts of Victoria and South Australia. Several thunderstorms are also forecast in the region which would lead to dry lightning. The Victoria fire department chief warned that dry lightning could spark new fires while strong winds forecast could spread the existing one near Ballarat and urged people to reconsider any decision to stay back to protect their homes. Catastrophic conditions have been forecast for Victoria’s Wimmera region as half of the state was placed under an extreme fire danger rating. Also Read | Popocatepetl volcano spews ash, nearly two dozen Mexico City flights cancelled “Extreme fire dangers are coming to fruition, and in fact we’re currently seeing catastrophic conditions in Casterdon, Hamilton and Kanagulk in the Wimmera weather district,” said Heffernan. Victorian State Control Centre spokesperson, Luke Hegarty, told the ABC that authorities were on high alert, late Wednesday afternoon as cloud cover lifted, temperatures rose and winds picked up speed. Temperatures spiked across several towns in Victoria, on Wednesday afternoon. Walpeup, in north-west Victoria, hit 43.5 degrees Celsius and Hopetoun, 400 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, reached 42.6 degrees Celsius, according to the BoM. (With inputs from agencies)

Australia: More than 30,000 people urged to evacuate amid fire risk, ‘catastrophic’ conditions

Australia is currently battling an intense heatwave that has prompted the danger of a bushfire disaster. According to a report by the news agency Reuters on Wednesday (September 20), danger warnings have been issued for the Greater Sydney region, which is home to more than five million people.

Australia is currently battling an intense heatwave that has prompted the danger of a bushfire disaster. According to a report by the news agency Reuters on Wednesday (September 20), danger warnings have been issued for the Greater Sydney region, which is home to more than five million people. In its latest update, the NSW Rural Fire Services said over 600 firefighters and emergency personnel were battling to control 68 fires burning across New South Wales (NSW) state as of Wednesday morning. "With hot, dry and windy conditions forecast throughout the day, the Greater Sydney Region ... will experience extreme fire danger, while several other areas will experience high fire danger," the update said. Total fire ban in large swathes of NSW Total fire bans are in place in large swathes of New South Wales. Reuters reported that on Tuesday, residents of a popular holiday town in Tasmania were told to move to a safer location due to an uncontrolled bushfire fuelled by strong wind gusts. Meanwhile, fire crews rushed to conduct hazard-reduction burns in Sydney's west to prepare for the looming bushfire season, which authorities said could be the worst since the 2019-2020 'Black Summer' fires. During this disaster, around 15,000 separate fires burned across Australia, according to a report by the BBC. Greg Mullins, a former fire brigade chief, who repeatedly warned authorities about the Black Summer fires but got no positive response, told the BBC that governments have acted on calls to improve the equipment available to firefighters - the aerial firefighting fleet in particular. However, the report said that fuel management is another story, and one increasingly out of human control. Despite the scale of Black Summer, there are still dense swathes of bushland - for example surrounding the Sydney basin - which were left largely untouched. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Australia faces danger of bushfires as it battles spring heatwave

After bushfires destroyed their habitat, the already struggling populations of Koalas can now soon be listed as endangered in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory

A federal panel of experts specialising in threatened species has recommended that the once-thriving marsupial’s status be upgraded from vulnerable to endangered in each of the three jurisdictions.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/habitat-loss-in-an-australian-state-may-drive-koalas-to-extinction-by-2050-309664">Habitat loss in an Australian state may drive koalas to extinction by 2050</a>

A member International Fund for Animal Welfare, Josey Sharrad describes this move as bittersweet. She says that this move “confirms our fears koalas are on the road to extinction and need greater protections if they are going to survive into the future,”.

“Koalas were living on a knife-edge before the fires, with numbers in severe decline due to land clearing, drought, disease, car strikes and dog attacks.

“The bushfires were the final straw, hitting at the heart of already struggling koala populations and critical habitat.”, she added.

According to estimates, at least 6,400 koalas were killed in the Black Summer bushfires, leading to a decline between 33 per cent and 61 per cent in New South Wales (NSW), and unless urgent action is taken, the marsupials can go extinct in this region by 2050.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/thing-of-the-past-experts-fear-australias-iconic-koala-could-go-extinct-by-2050-309749">Thing of the past? Experts fear Australia's iconic koala could go extinct by 2050</a>

In Queensland, since 2001 there has been at least a 50 per cent drop in the koala population mostly due to deforestation, drought and bushfires.

Koala populations in the three jurisdictions were listed as vulnerable in 2012, and since then they have suffered due to many reasons, including as a consequence of land clearing.

Public submissions have been invited on the question of whether the status of their native animal should be&nbsp;changed from vulnerable to endangered in all three jurisdictions.

After weighing public submissions, the panel on threatened species will be providing its final advice to the federal environment minister by 30 October.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/artificial-intelligence-for-conservation-australian-researchers-to-test-koala-facial-recognition-389160">Artificial Intelligence for conservation: Australian researchers to test koala 'facial recognition'</a>

According to Sharrad a national koala recovery plan has long been overdue.

Urging the governments to take immediate action to address the key threats that are driving koalas towards extinction, she said that “Koalas are an iconic species loved the world over. We simply cannot afford to let them go extinct on our watch.”

Along with the International Fund for Animal Welfare, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Humane Society International (HSI) have also nominated Koala’s addition to the endangered animals' list, and HSI says that this might be the last hope for the diminishing populations.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-gears-up-for-the-great-koala-count-using-drones-droppings-and-dogs-348189">Australia gears up for the great Koala count, using drones, droppings and dogs</a>

An $18 million plan to help protect the distressed native species was announced earlier this year, by the federal government.

Sussan Ley, Australia’s environment minister, said that a national audit would help in deciding where support and funding are to be directed, but critics complain that the koala census was not enough to save the marsupial.

The audit is expected to cost $2 million, and the rest of the package will go towards medical support, health research, and habitat restoration.

After bushfires destroyed their habitat, the already struggling populations of Koalas can now soon be listed as endangered in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory A federal panel of experts specialising in threatened species has recommended that the once-thriving marsupial’s status be upgraded from vulnerable to endangered in each of the three jurisdictions.

After bushfires destroyed their habitat, the already struggling populations of Koalas can now soon be listed as endangered in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory A federal panel of experts specialising in threatened species has recommended that the once-thriving marsupial’s status be upgraded from vulnerable to endangered in each of the three jurisdictions. Also read | Habitat loss in an Australian state may drive koalas to extinction by 2050 A member International Fund for Animal Welfare, Josey Sharrad describes this move as bittersweet. She says that this move “confirms our fears koalas are on the road to extinction and need greater protections if they are going to survive into the future,”. “Koalas were living on a knife-edge before the fires, with numbers in severe decline due to land clearing, drought, disease, car strikes and dog attacks. “The bushfires were the final straw, hitting at the heart of already struggling koala populations and critical habitat.”, she added. According to estimates, at least 6,400 koalas were killed in the Black Summer bushfires, leading to a decline between 33 per cent and 61 per cent in New South Wales (NSW), and unless urgent action is taken, the marsupials can go extinct in this region by 2050. Also read | Thing of the past? Experts fear Australia's iconic koala could go extinct by 2050 In Queensland, since 2001 there has been at least a 50 per cent drop in the koala population mostly due to deforestation, drought and bushfires. Koala populations in the three jurisdictions were listed as vulnerable in 2012, and since then they have suffered due to many reasons, including as a consequence of land clearing. Public submissions have been invited on the question of whether the status of their native animal should be changed from vulnerable to endangered in all three jurisdictions. After weighing public submissions, the panel on threatened species will be providing its final advice to the federal environment minister by 30 October. Also read | Artificial Intelligence for conservation: Australian researchers to test koala 'facial recognition' According to Sharrad a national koala recovery plan has long been overdue. Urging the governments to take immediate action to address the key threats that are driving koalas towards extinction, she said that “Koalas are an iconic species loved the world over. We simply cannot afford to let them go extinct on our watch.” Along with the International Fund for Animal Welfare, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Humane Society International (HSI) have also nominated Koala’s addition to the endangered animals' list, and HSI says that this might be the last hope for the diminishing populations. Also read | Australia gears up for the great Koala count, using drones, droppings and dogs An $18 million plan to help protect the distressed native species was announced earlier this year, by the federal government. Sussan Ley, Australia’s environment minister, said that a national audit would help in deciding where support and funding are to be directed, but critics complain that the koala census was not enough to save the marsupial. The audit is expected to cost $2 million, and the rest of the package will go towards medical support, health research, and habitat restoration.

Koalas may get an unfortunate bump up: From vulnerable to endangered

Australian authorities declared a state of emergency in the capital as soaring temperatures and strong whipped up huge, unpredictable blazes. Authorities warned on Friday (January 31) of severe fire danger in populated areas this weekend.

Australia bushfires show no sign of abating

Australia declares state of emergency in Canberra

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday he wants greater federal powers during natural disasters, as authorities warned <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-megablaze-brought-under-control-273841">bushfires ravaging the country</a> for months were sweeping through a national park near the capital.

Morrison said he wanted to set up a "legal framework that would allow the Commonwealth to declare a national state of emergency" before the next summer bushfire season, adding the chain of command between states and the federal government remained unclear.

Although he gave no details, the plan showed the conservative leader moving to head off criticism he was too slow to act when the seriousness of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-pm-proposes-high-powered-inquiry-into-bushfires-response-273680">country's worst bushfire season</a> in a generation became apparent late last year.

Attacked by political opponents and media commentators for holidaying in Hawaii while the fires raged, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/australia-bushfires-scott-morrison-announces-new-recovery-agency-272334">Morrison </a>initially said the country's eight state and territory governments had the main oversight during natural disasters.

He later mobilised about 3,000 Australian Defence Force reservists to help regional communities <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-bushfires-2000-homes-destroyed-military-buries-4000-animals-to-prevent-diseases-272607">affected by the fires</a>. "It has long been the case that state and territory governments have primary responsibility for protecting the life and property within their borders," Morrison said.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-prime-ministers-approval-rating-singed-by-bushfires-273895">Australian Prime Minister's approval rating singed by bushfires</a>

"The scale of the bushfires this season, not least their simultaneous reach across many borders, has demonstrated to me the limits of these arrangements," Morrison said in a speech in the capital, Canberra.

<img alt="Scott Morrison" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="718272a9-03b3-49cb-b634-6b779f2924fa" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%284%29_24.jpg" /> 
[ Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (Courtesy: Reuters) ]

Just to the south of the city, authorities warned people to stay away from some regional areas due to a 10,000 hectare (25,000 acre) forest fire, although no suburbs of Canberra itself were under threat.

Over the summer, Canberra has regularly been shrouded in bushfire smoke that has put its air quality among the lowest-ranked in the world and prompted government agencies to ask employees to stay home.

A week ago, the city's airport was closed briefly when bushfire burned near its edges. The Bureau of Meteorology has warned Canberra will be at the centre of a heatwave that will put the city's temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) for several days.

Since September, bushfires in Australia have killed 33 people and an estimated 1 billion native animals, while 2,500 homes and a wilderness area the size of Greece have been destroyed, prompting critics to accuse Morrison of not doing enough to cut the country's carbon emissions.

Morrison said Australia should adapt to changing weather patterns that would make bushfires more frequent, but "when it comes to practical safety of people living in bushfire zones, hazard reduction is even more important than emissions reduction". 
&nbsp;

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday he wants greater federal powers during natural disasters, as authorities warned bushfires ravaging the country for months were sweeping through a national park near the capital.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday he wants greater federal powers during natural disasters, as authorities warned bushfires ravaging the country for months were sweeping through a national park near the capital. Morrison said he wanted to set up a "legal framework that would allow the Commonwealth to declare a national state of emergency" before the next summer bushfire season, adding the chain of command between states and the federal government remained unclear. Although he gave no details, the plan showed the conservative leader moving to head off criticism he was too slow to act when the seriousness of the country's worst bushfire season in a generation became apparent late last year. Attacked by political opponents and media commentators for holidaying in Hawaii while the fires raged, Morrison initially said the country's eight state and territory governments had the main oversight during natural disasters. He later mobilised about 3,000 Australian Defence Force reservists to help regional communities affected by the fires. "It has long been the case that state and territory governments have primary responsibility for protecting the life and property within their borders," Morrison said. Also Read: Australian Prime Minister's approval rating singed by bushfires "The scale of the bushfires this season, not least their simultaneous reach across many borders, has demonstrated to me the limits of these arrangements," Morrison said in a speech in the capital, Canberra. [ Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (Courtesy: Reuters) ] Just to the south of the city, authorities warned people to stay away from some regional areas due to a 10,000 hectare (25,000 acre) forest fire, although no suburbs of Canberra itself were under threat. Over the summer, Canberra has regularly been shrouded in bushfire smoke that has put its air quality among the lowest-ranked in the world and prompted government agencies to ask employees to stay home. A week ago, the city's airport was closed briefly when bushfire burned near its edges. The Bureau of Meteorology has warned Canberra will be at the centre of a heatwave that will put the city's temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) for several days. Since September, bushfires in Australia have killed 33 people and an estimated 1 billion native animals, while 2,500 homes and a wilderness area the size of Greece have been destroyed, prompting critics to accuse Morrison of not doing enough to cut the country's carbon emissions. Morrison said Australia should adapt to changing weather patterns that would make bushfires more frequent, but "when it comes to practical safety of people living in bushfire zones, hazard reduction is even more important than emissions reduction".

Australian PM seeks greater federal powers to protect the nation from threatening bushfires

By Nicole Hasham

Bushfires plunder lives and landscapes in myriad ways, but they often start the same way. A bright morning suddenly turns to night. Ash flutters down from the sky, propelled ahead of the roaring fire front. An awful red glow slinks over the horizon.

When I awoke in the NSW south coast town of Bermagui on the last day of 2019, I should have twigged straight away. At 8 am, the sky was a gruesome orange-black, the surrounding bush freakishly quiet. Our mobile phones had no signal. Outside, my car was coated in soot.

We knew fires were burning more than 100km up the coast at Batemans Bay, but Bermagui had seemed a safe distance away. Suddenly, it wasn’t.

Fire was bearing down on the seaside town, burning so fiercely it created its own thunderstorm. Residents evacuated to the beach after emergency text messages at 4am, but with our phone service down we’d slept on, oblivious. When my partner and I woke and worked out what was happening, we too bundled our bewildered young son into the car and fled.

Of course, amid the devastation wrought this fire season, a disrupted holiday is nothing to complain about. Bushfires have decimated huge swathes of Australia this fire season, taking with them, at the time of writing, 23 lives and more than 1500 homes.

Thousands of holidaymakers in NSW and Victoria were stranded for days in towns with dwindling food and fuel supplies. Some were forced to shelter on beaches, dodging embers and watching flames creep ever closer. And we cannot forget the animals – millions have been killed this fire season, or will soon die from lack of food or shelter.

With all roads out of Bermagui closed, we spent New Year’s Eve at a local club which had hastily been converted into an evacuation centre. Many evacuees were from the nearby fire-hit town of Cobargo. Some knew the father and son who died after staying to defend their property. Many would presumably soon discover their own homes were gone. They watched, hands over their mouths, as the club’s giant plasma screens beamed images of their once-charming town, now a jumble of rubble and corrugated iron.

We lay our doonas down between rows of poker machines and lined up for dinner with hundreds of other evacuees. Food supplies in the town had already run short – the shelves of the local Woolworths were all but empty. To feed the hordes, volunteers began rationing dinner portions to just half a sausage and a slice of bread. They had no idea where tomorrow’s meals would come from.

All this raises inevitable questions. To what extent is climate change driving these fires, and how much of that is Australia’s fault? Do we need a permanent, paid rural fire-fighting force to deal with this “new normal”? Are our fuel, food and communications systems resilient enough to cope with these disasters? And how do we cope with the deep anxiety these fires provoke, on both a personal and societal level?

Over the coming days and weeks, The Conversation will examine the tough issues emerging from this crisis. Our authors, experts in the field, will cut through the political spin and information barrage to help you understand this national disaster, and what it means for our future.

Today, the University of Tasmania’s David Bowman examines whether it’s time to ditch the traditional summer holiday, when thousands of people head to bushy areas in peak bushfire season. And while the fires absorb our attention, Monash University’s Neville Nicholls reminds us that cyclones, floods and heatwaves are also likely this summer.

On New Year’s Day, the wind having blown the fires away from Bermagui, officials opened a road out. They warned us to leave before conditions changed again. We had just under half a tank of diesel, and neither Bermagui nor the next town, Tarthra, had supplies. We drove on. No diesel at Bega either, until a local told us of a truck station on the outskirts of town where we filled up.

The trip home was slow and smoky, and phone reception patchy. It struck me how vulnerable we are to technology and transport systems that can so easily shut down. We tried to buy a paper map in case of detours, but no service stations stocked them.

Our three-year-old son grasped little of what was happening. I suggested a game of I-Spy, but it was soon abandoned – the smoke meant there was nothing much to see. We drove through blackened landscapes where sheep wandered paddocks with the wool burnt off their backs. My son, sensing the mood, asked why his dad and I were so quiet.

In the days after we arrived back in Canberra, air quality was more than 20 times above hazardous levels. Shops and swimming pools were closed, and mail deliveries were cancelled. A woman reportedly died from respiratory distress after exiting a plane to a tarmac filled with smoke. Babies were born into smoke-filled hospital theatres; their parents despaired at what the future holds.

When the immediate threat of these fires has passed, many bigger questions will remain. The Conversation will continue to bring you the responsible, evidence-based journalism you need to be properly informed. Thank you for your continued support.

(Nicole Hasham is Section Editor: Energy + Environment)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/making-sense-of-australias-bushfire-crisis-means-asking-hard-questions-and-listening-to-the-answers-129302">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

&nbsp;

By Nicole Hasham Bushfires plunder lives and landscapes in myriad ways, but they often start the same way. A bright morning suddenly turns to night. Ash flutters down from the sky, propelled ahead of the roaring fire front.

By Nicole Hasham Bushfires plunder lives and landscapes in myriad ways, but they often start the same way. A bright morning suddenly turns to night. Ash flutters down from the sky, propelled ahead of the roaring fire front. An awful red glow slinks over the horizon. When I awoke in the NSW south coast town of Bermagui on the last day of 2019, I should have twigged straight away. At 8 am, the sky was a gruesome orange-black, the surrounding bush freakishly quiet. Our mobile phones had no signal. Outside, my car was coated in soot. We knew fires were burning more than 100km up the coast at Batemans Bay, but Bermagui had seemed a safe distance away. Suddenly, it wasn’t. Fire was bearing down on the seaside town, burning so fiercely it created its own thunderstorm. Residents evacuated to the beach after emergency text messages at 4am, but with our phone service down we’d slept on, oblivious. When my partner and I woke and worked out what was happening, we too bundled our bewildered young son into the car and fled. Of course, amid the devastation wrought this fire season, a disrupted holiday is nothing to complain about. Bushfires have decimated huge swathes of Australia this fire season, taking with them, at the time of writing, 23 lives and more than 1500 homes. Thousands of holidaymakers in NSW and Victoria were stranded for days in towns with dwindling food and fuel supplies. Some were forced to shelter on beaches, dodging embers and watching flames creep ever closer. And we cannot forget the animals – millions have been killed this fire season, or will soon die from lack of food or shelter. With all roads out of Bermagui closed, we spent New Year’s Eve at a local club which had hastily been converted into an evacuation centre. Many evacuees were from the nearby fire-hit town of Cobargo. Some knew the father and son who died after staying to defend their property. Many would presumably soon discover their own homes were gone. They watched, hands over their mouths, as the club’s giant plasma screens beamed images of their once-charming town, now a jumble of rubble and corrugated iron. We lay our doonas down between rows of poker machines and lined up for dinner with hundreds of other evacuees. Food supplies in the town had already run short – the shelves of the local Woolworths were all but empty. To feed the hordes, volunteers began rationing dinner portions to just half a sausage and a slice of bread. They had no idea where tomorrow’s meals would come from. All this raises inevitable questions. To what extent is climate change driving these fires, and how much of that is Australia’s fault? Do we need a permanent, paid rural fire-fighting force to deal with this “new normal”? Are our fuel, food and communications systems resilient enough to cope with these disasters? And how do we cope with the deep anxiety these fires provoke, on both a personal and societal level? Over the coming days and weeks, The Conversation will examine the tough issues emerging from this crisis. Our authors, experts in the field, will cut through the political spin and information barrage to help you understand this national disaster, and what it means for our future. Today, the University of Tasmania’s David Bowman examines whether it’s time to ditch the traditional summer holiday, when thousands of people head to bushy areas in peak bushfire season. And while the fires absorb our attention, Monash University’s Neville Nicholls reminds us that cyclones, floods and heatwaves are also likely this summer. On New Year’s Day, the wind having blown the fires away from Bermagui, officials opened a road out. They warned us to leave before conditions changed again. We had just under half a tank of diesel, and neither Bermagui nor the next town, Tarthra, had supplies. We drove on. No diesel at Bega either, until a local told us of a truck station on the outskirts of town where we filled up. The trip home was slow and smoky, and phone reception patchy. It struck me how vulnerable we are to technology and transport systems that can so easily shut down. We tried to buy a paper map in case of detours, but no service stations stocked them. Our three-year-old son grasped little of what was happening. I suggested a game of I-Spy, but it was soon abandoned – the smoke meant there was nothing much to see. We drove through blackened landscapes where sheep wandered paddocks with the wool burnt off their backs. My son, sensing the mood, asked why his dad and I were so quiet. In the days after we arrived back in Canberra, air quality was more than 20 times above hazardous levels. Shops and swimming pools were closed, and mail deliveries were cancelled. A woman reportedly died from respiratory distress after exiting a plane to a tarmac filled with smoke. Babies were born into smoke-filled hospital theatres; their parents despaired at what the future holds. When the immediate threat of these fires has passed, many bigger questions will remain. The Conversation will continue to bring you the responsible, evidence-based journalism you need to be properly informed. Thank you for your continued support. (Nicole Hasham is Section Editor: Energy + Environment) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Making sense of Australia’s bushfire crisis means asking hard questions – and listening to the answers

Residents and tourists along the New South Wales south coast started evacuations on Thursday (January 2) with authorities declaring a "tourist leave zone" for hundred's of kilometres of the coast.

Thousands evacuate New South Wales south coast ahead of bushfire threat