As devastating bushfires rage on in Australia, covering an area twice the size of Wales and incinerating some 500 million animals, forecasters are predicting the worst is yet to come, forcing record evacuations in the east.
The deadly fires show no signs of slowing, with temperatures expected to reach well over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and “extreme” fire danger predicted for South Australia.
The blaze is expected to consume the entirety of a national park in that province’s Kangaroo Island, and an evacuation order has been issued for over 100,000 people. Meanwhile, the government of New South Wales declared a state of emergency to take effect on Friday.
“Conditions are set to mirror or even deteriorate beyond what we saw on New Year’s Eve,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Jonathan How said in a briefing, warning that strong and dry winds would likely bring fires back to life in already-devastated regions.