How many months did the Australian fires last in 2019?

Four months.

In November 2019, bushfires raged in eastern Australia and the disaster intensified. As of midnight on the 9th, the fires had killed at least 3 people, injured more than 30 people, burned 150 houses, and thousands of residents. Forced to flee their homes. In addition, about 350 koalas in the local reserve also died in the fire.

Serious wildfires broke out in many places in southeastern Australia, including New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, on December 31, 2019. The fire area exceeded 6 million hectares, causing more than 20 deaths and 2,000 people. Many houses were destroyed and thousands of local people were forced to leave their homes.

In the wildfire crisis that has lasted for several months, thick smoke has drifted to New Zealand, 2,000 kilometers away, causing New Zealand's air quality to decline and even smog to appear.

On January 8, 2020, at least 25 people died and more than 2,000 houses were burned down. According to a Brazilian meteorological company, thick smoke from the fire has spread to southern Brazil. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China expressed its sincere condolences to the severe wildfire disasters that occurred in many places in Australia and caused heavy casualties and property losses.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison acknowledged mistakes in the response to the bushfire crisis and said he would submit a proposal to the cabinet to establish a royal commission to deal with the bushfires. Disasters, and will also discuss how the federal government can step in with greater flexibility and assist states in responding to problems when disasters occur.

In addition, because the wildfires have brought huge psychological trauma to the people in the disaster area, Morrison announced that he will invest 76 million Australian dollars (approximately 350 million yuan) to provide psychological counseling and comfort to the people.

On January 11, 2020, another firefighter unfortunately died at the scene of an Australian wildfire. The number of fatalities in Australia this wildfire season rose to 28, including 4 firefighters.

In Australia, some states and territories with high forest fire rates have launched special operations against arsonists. Since November 2019, NSW authorities have issued warnings or charged 183 people for about 200 bushfire-related offences, some of which were intentional and others negligent.

Of these, 24 people were charged with deliberately lighting bushfires, 53 people were prosecuted or warned for failing to comply with a total fire ban, and 47 people were involved in littering cigarette butts.

Around January 12, 2020, favorable weather such as rainfall, low temperatures, and no strong winds occurred in the Australian wildfire zone. The fire intensity in New South Wales has weakened, but it has not fundamentally changed the situation in New South Wales. Forest fire situation. In neighboring Victoria state, bushfires are still increasing.

Thunderstorms occurred in Melbourne on January 15 and 16, 2020, which caused the local air pollution to ease compared with the previous days, and the local air quality also changed from the "hazardous" level to the "moderate" level. However, the Victoria State Fire Department stated that as some fires in the eastern and northeastern parts of Victoria are still uncontrolled, and coupled with weather changes, Melbourne may be hit by heavy smoke again on the 18th.

Extended information

As of January 7, 2020, the fire has killed 25 people, 3 people are missing, thousands of houses have been burned, and the fire area has reached more than 6 million hectares. According to estimates from the Insurance Council of Australia, wildfires have caused losses of up to A$700 million across Australia since September 2019. Nearly 9,000 people have sought insurance claims, and the number of claims will rise significantly.

Relevant experts say that this ongoing wildfire is a "devastating massacre" for Australian wildlife. Latest figures show that more than 20,000 koalas have been killed in the fires. Ecologists from the University of Sydney estimate that nearly 500 million mammals, birds and reptiles have been burned to death in the past three to four months.

In addition, the smoke generated by forest fires in recent days has swept across Australia, and the PM2.5 index has reached a record high. Many capital cities, including the Australian capital Canberra and Melbourne, have been shrouded in smoke for days. Thick smoke even "reached" New Zealand across the Tasman Sea, and the sky above Auckland was also covered in orange smoke.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Australian bushfires

People's Daily Online - Australian bushfires continue to rage, many sectors lend a helping hand