Australia is currently facing unprecedented and unusual as three fires have merged there overnight to create a 6000-hectare fire. Victoria's Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning has said multiple fires have begun converging in the past 24 hours. The largest is in the Omeo region near the Alpine National Park. The day has been recorded as the most catastrophic day yet in an already devastating bushfire season.

The fire in New South Wales still remains "out of control," according to the Rural Fire Service. It has burned 264,000 hectares (1,020 square miles) of land from September. The country's Bureau of Meteorology has also sent warning announcements that the winds are picking up and temperatures increasing. "Today will be a day of severe to extreme fire danger through many districts," the bureau said. The country's capital, Canberra, smashed its heat record of 80 years, reaching 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday afternoon, according to the meteorology bureau.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that 23 people had been killed nationwide, drastically raising the death toll. More than 1,500 homes have also been destroyed since the fire season began in September. Currently, the government has alo declared a state of emergency. Talking about bushfire, we have to consider many factors like – people deliberately light fires in the bush or lightning strikes a tree in the bush. Also, people leave untended cooking fires and campfires in the bush or toss aside lit cigarettes in the bush. Sometimes, strong sunlight shines on some broken glass or anything can start a bushfire.

This time, it has been the deadliest bushfire disaster on record in Australia with 173 people killed and 500 injured. Morrison announced on Saturday on the deployment of up to 3,000 Australian Defense Force Reserve troops to affected states. "Today is about ensuring we deal with the urgent crisis that is existing across fire grounds in four states, in particular, to ensure we're giving everything that is needed on the ground without being asked," Morrison said at a press conference.

The temperate zones of the southern half of the country are most prone, and of those, the areas nearer the coast with a higher vegetation density are more prone. Over half a billion animals have been killed and the fires are no longer containable. Australia is in a state of absolute disaster. Though fires have been burning, the actual and biggest danger on Saturday is the wind. The wind has been carrying far distances and start entirely new fires in new locations. Unfortunate that these winds will inevitably change directions once the cold front passes and in turn make the fires tougher to steer.

SOURCE : GULTE