Australia: New Bushfire Threat Reaches Southern Canberra

Australian authorities determined Tuesday the new bush fires south of the capital Canberra as the most serious wildfire threat to the Australian capital since 2003.

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The fire has swept away almost 8,000 hectares so far, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The Department of Defence said it was possibly caused by a helicopter whose hot landing lights set the grass on fire.

"This is the most serious situation we have faced since the 2003 bushfires," said Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Andrew Barr.

The fires that hit the suburbs of Canberra in 2003 killed four people, injured 430 and destroyed hundreds of homes.

Government statements urge residents of South Canberra, near the fire zone, to monitor the situation closely and activate their survival plans.

The Canberra fire is just the latest in a series of destructive fires that have hit Australia since September. So far,  at least 33 people and more than a billion animals have been killed.

Bushfires have also sent smoke streams through the southern hemisphere and destroyed a considerable area within Australia.

Moreover, the current climate crisis is one of the main contributors to the catastrophic fire season being 2019 the hottest and driest year in Australia's history.

Carbon emissions from the fires have also contributed greatly to what is expected to be one of the largest annual increases in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.