World Heritage, Fraser Island Begins To Be Licked By Australian Forest Fires

Photo illustration (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Australian bushfires are approaching settlements on Fraser Island - a World Heritage registered at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, so residents are asked to evacuate on Sunday, December 6.

Since emerging as a result of wild bonfires, seven weeks ago, the fires have engulfed half of the island on Australia's northeast coast, which is part of the Great Barrier Reef and is known for its tropical rainforest in dunes and lakes.

Happy Valley residents then received a slight evacuation suspension after the intensity of the fires started to wane on Sunday afternoon, Greg Leach, Queensland State Emergency Services Commissioner, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

"Now we do not anticipate that the fires will spread to Happy Valley neighborhoods today, but we will continue to work hard," said Leach.

"We will continue to run the plane over the fire flames from dawn tomorrow to try to extinguish the fire as best we can," added Leach.

Queensland's emergency services are asking residents to evacuate at least by Sunday afternoon.

"Going as soon as possible is the safest option, because soon it will be too dangerous to drive. Anyone in the vicinity of the Happy Valley neighborhood will have to leave the area," Queensland Fire and Emergency Services wrote on social media.

Relevant officials said that there were still more than 90 personnel, 38 vehicles and 17 aircraft at work on Fraser Island, including a special fire-fighting aircraft provided in Queensland and another fire fighter sent from the State of New South Wales.

The heat in the Queensland region last week caused fire conditions to reach their peak, with 48 hotspots now identified by emergency teams, Leach said.

Australia experiences several hotter and longer summers - last season referred to as the "Black Summer" by Prime Minister Scott Morrison because it sparked long, intense fires that engulfed nearly 12 million hectares of land and killed 33 people and about a billion animals.