21 photos showing the aftermath of horrific bushfires in Australia
In a few months, wildfires in Australia have destroyed 10 million hectares of land. In the state of New South Wales alone, about half a billion animals became victims of the disaster, millions of them died. Human settlements have been wiped off the face of the earth. Here are the consequences of a fiery hell in photos.
Kangaroo Island
The threat looms over the unique flora and fauna of Kangaroo Island. The fire destroyed 155,000 hectares of land, which is about a third of the entire area of the island. Thousands of koalas died. There are eight nature reserves on the island, which are home to such endangered species as narrow-legged marsupial mice, monitor lizards, echidnas, bandicoots, glossy black cockatoos. "This place is called the little Noah's Ark. The island is a nature reserve. This is the most destructive fire we have seen in a long time," said environmentalist Heidi Groffen, stressing that all eight sites were badly damaged.
Tatra Beach, New South Wales
In Canberra, the capital of Australia, the level of air pollution 26 times exceeded the critical mark of "life—threatening". Fires are predicted to intensify due to heat, strong winds and thunderstorms.
Mogo Wild Animal Park
Kangaroo Island
Sarsfield, Victoria
Cobargo Main Street
Bridge in Genoa
Mallacoota Marina
Nature Reserve in Canberra
Blue Mountains, Australia
One of the houses
View of Mount Cook
Sydney
Mallakuta
Cobargo
Betka Road
Merimbula
Shoalhaven
Mini Golf in Batemans Bay
Araluen Motel
Blue Mountains, Australia
Keywords: Australia | Forest fires | Photos