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Australia marks official start to wild fire season

Xinhua, October 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

Australia's emergency services have been preparing for a busy bushfire season as the bureau of meteorology predicts hot and dry summer conditions will create dangerous conditions.

Officials in all Australian states marked the start of the nation's bushfire, or wild fire, season on Thursday with one clear message, be prepared.

"With a confirmed El-Nino weather pattern in place, we are prepared for what could be a difficult fire season," New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.

Authorities on Thursday also warned that homes and lives could be at risk from two bushfires currently out of control and unpredictable in the northwest of Western Australia.

Despite rains hampering efforts during Australia's cooler months, hazard reduction burns and vegetation clearing in high- risk areas have been conducted by fire crews to prepare for the season.

Authorities stress that however, Australia must also make their own fire-ready preparations and not be complacent.

"That's about having a bushfire survival plan, knowing what decisions they're going to make if a bushfire threatens themselves, their family or their property," ACT Rural Fire Service Chief Officer Andrew Stark said.

Two large helicopters and a DC-10 air taker have joined Thor, a Hercules C130 water bombing aircraft to deploy from New South Wales as part of a jointly state and federal funded initiative, established in 2003, providing aerial support to fire crews Australia-wide as needed.

"By pooling our resources, governments in all jurisdictions get very good aerial firefighting capability and value for money," Minister for Defence Marise Payne said.

As part of seasonal precautions, authorities impose fire bans across parts of the country and lay significant penalties upon those convicted of arson which starts a bushfire.

Over 4,000 homes and other structures were destroyed in one of Australia's most significant incidents, the "Black Saturday" bushfires of 2009, which saw 179 people killed, injuring 400 others.

Then Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd labeled the loss of life as "mass murder" after it was revealed some of the fires had been deliberately lit. Endi