Tag: Australia bushfires

Makeshift koala hospital scrambles to save dozens injured in bushfires

KANGAROO ISLAND, Australia (AFP) – Dozens of injured koalas arrive at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park’s makeshift animal hospital each day in cat carriers, washing baskets or clinging to wildlife carers. Injured in bushfires that have ravaged the wildlife haven off the coast of South Australia state, there are so many marsupials currently requiring urgent treatment that carers don’t have time to give them names — they are simply referred to by a number. Among […]

Australia fires ‘long way from over’ but rain brings relief

by with Glenda Kwek in Sydney / Holly ROBERTSON Agence France Presse Massive bushfires in southeastern Australia still have a “long way to go”, authorities have warned, even as colder conditions brought some relief to exhausted firefighters and communities on Saturday. After a blustery night that saw a series of massive infernos in New South Wales and Victoria states merge into a mega-blaze four times the size of Greater London, temperatures dropped and rain fell […]

Troops deployed across fire-hit Australia after horror weekend

EDEN, Australia  (AFP) — Reserve troops were deployed to fire-ravaged regions across three Australian states on Monday after a torrid weekend that turned swathes of land into smouldering, blackened hellscapes. The bushfires have now destroyed an area the size of Ireland, according to official figures, and authorities warned the months-long crisis is not over as another heatwave looms. Firefighters joined by fresh teams from the US and Canada were taking advantage of rainy and cooler conditions to tackle out-of-control blazes ahead of soaring temperatures forecast later […]

Power supply fears as troops called to battle Australia bushfires

by Holly ROBERTSON / with Andrew Beatty and Glenda Kwek in Sydney Agence France-Presse BATEMANS BAY, Australia (AFP) — Skies turned black and ash rained down as fires raged across southeastern Australia on Saturday, threatening power supplies to major cities and prompting the call-up of 3,000 military reservists. Temperature records were smashed, and gale-force winds pounded fire-stricken coastal communities in the two most populous states New South Wales and Victoria. New South Wales Premier Gladys […]

DFA: No Filipinos hurt in Australia bushfires

(Eagle News) — No Filipinos have been injured in the bushfires in parts of New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia. This is according to the Department of Foreign Affairs, which cited reports from the embassy in Canberra, consulate general in Sydney, and honorary consulates in Brisbane and Perth. “The DFA is closely monitoring the situation in the affected areas and is coordinating with various agencies and Filipino community leaders in Australia to ascertain the […]