Throughout Southeastern Australia wildfires spread rapidly, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate and destroying countless properties. The main three locations affected by the ferocious wildfires are Sydney, South Wales, and Victoria. Extremely hot and dry conditions continue to fuel the fires, worsening conditions for those in affected areas.

Firefighter Michael Brearley leads a defense group in a small town around South Sydney, Australia. “When the southerly wind change hit, the cloud collapsed and it just threw fire into the forest immediately south of the town,” Mr. Brearley said. “We screamed for more resources. The fire was on us.”

Rain has been scarce for weeks, as the fire was instead the result of pyrocumulonimbus clouds. These clouds were created by heat driving air upward in the smoke crest from a wildfire, drawing in moisture, and resulting in thunderstorms.  The weather phenomenon is hard to predict, and scientists say this is only the beginning. Temperatures went above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, fueled by intense and unpredictable wind. 

“Under these conditions, it is not at all surprising that extreme wildfires have been running out of control,” said Robert Rohde, a lead scientist at Berkeley Earth, an organization for climate research.

Around 160 fires burn across 22,000 square miles of Australia in total. The fires keep escalating and have led to the death of nineteen people and left 200 homes destroyed. Resources such as food are running low for residents and there is a high demand for water. Additionally, air quality has worsened due to the smoke released from the flames. 

Australia plans on situating 3,000 defense-force reservists and acquiring more water-bombing planes. The Australian navy’s largest amphibious ship, the HMAS Adelaide, is being mobilized to support the evacuation of fire-affected areas along the coast. As relief efforts continue, more than 1500 evacuees are being taken by ships to defense bases from Brisbane to Adelaide temporarily as shelters.