INNISFAIL – The wildfire situation in Australia continues to worsen at an alarming rate.
Recent reports state an additional 250,000 Australians, in the southeastern portion of the country, were evacuated late last week as Australian authorities urged residents to leave under an increased threat of wildfires on Friday.
Reports also state the alpine region of the country on the border of Victoria and New South Wales states is under threat as two or possibly three fires were poised to merge and create a "mega blaze" almost 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) in size.
Former Spruce View resident Jessica Fullerton, who lives in the Warrnambool area in the state of Victoria, about 260 kilometres south of Melbourne, has provided updates throughout the week on the situation in her area.
In recent days, smoke has begun to fill the skies around Warrnambool, she noted in a recent message.
“We are starting to get smoke in our area, which is bringing it home to us that the fires are real and not just something on the news,” said Fullerton.
“(Our ocean) looks smoky ….but the air didn’t have the smoke smell today. (It is) just cold and trying to rain.”
According to the emergency website for the state of Victoria, smoke advisories were issued last Thursday evening.
The website stated, “smoke from bushfires in Eastern Victoria and New South Wales is currently affecting air quality across most of Victoria.”
Weather in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia's two most populated states, has been relatively quiet in recent days, according to an online report, but conditions are worsening once again and deteriorated last Friday after a cold front moved over the coasts of South Australia and Victoria.
In addition to the evacuations, high winds and extreme heat have returned to the region and have people on high alert.
A popular tourist area on Kangaroo Island in the state of South Australia has lost one-third of its forests to fire, scorching several of the Island's wildlife parks.
Earlier last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada is offering more assistance to help Australia if needed. At the moment, a total of 95 fire personnel are in Australia helping to manage logistics and monitor fire behaviour.
