- Huge fires still devastate Australia on Tuesday. Since September, eight million hectares have been burned.
- A disaster above all ecological, but also social for the inhabitants of the island, who see their daily life greatly disrupted.
- 20 Minutes has collected some testimonies from residents.
Spectacular fires continue to ravage Australia. Eight million hectares have burned since September on the island continent, three times more than during the forest fires in the Amazon. An ecological but also a social disaster for residents, who see their daily life greatly disrupted.
20 Minutes has gathered testimonies from Australians or residents of the island who all insist on the omnipresence of this disaster in the minds of people. Even for Lucas, a Frenchman living in Australia for five years, and who however saw no forest fire with his eyes.
A veil of smoke and worry
His region, north of Melbourne, went red code three weeks ago, and for this father, impossible to ignore the fires: "The radio indicated every five minutes that it was too late to leave and that the only option was to take refuge somewhere and wait. We saw no fire but we had these constant alerts. Since then, we are invaded by messages, notifications, on the radio, on our phones, in conversations. "
Even far from the fires themselves, smoke spread across the sky. This is the case for Stéphane, who evokes a “haze of smoke, an odor not very pleasant”, and a veil of concern over Melbourne. Lucas also describes a red sky "as in an apocalyptic vision. The air is unbreathable and it is advisable to stay with us as much as possible. "
A health fear
All the more so in the case of his family, with a pregnant woman and a baby girl of a few years old, “two populations at risk. Because fires pose a constant health threat to people. "The air irritates the throat. You have to avoid going out as much as possible, but it's difficult because of the work and the necessary travel, ”testifies Kévin, also in Melbourne.
And the risk of fire is never far away: "With the wind and the temperature, we know that a fire can start at any time and be immediately dangerous," worries Lucas.
The dangers of flames
Julie, a Frenchwoman who has lived on Kangaroo Island for twelve years, testifies to fires that took place on January 3 in her area: “The firefighters did a crazy job but the fire was advancing at breakneck speed. Everything burned down in an hour and a half. This mother had to evacuate her house four times in the past few weeks to take refuge with her boy and her companion with her in-laws.
On the island, it was a dry storm that started the first fires. "The lightning fell and the ground was so dry that everything burned. We haven't had any rain for two years, ”explains Julie. At the end of December, her Australian friend Ruth prepared her suitcases in which she piled up some clothes and her most precious memories. "We were ready to evacuate but the wind has changed and the situation has improved," she says.
The mourning of animals
In his mind, as in that of all islanders, this January 3 will remain a tragic day. Two people died that day, trapped in the flames. “The smoke was thicker, the light was different. It was very hot and there was wind. Even the oldest had never seen this, ”says Ruth.
Thirty thousand koalas perished in the flames, probably as many kangaroos, possums and other protected species. An ecological drama when you know that the island was one of the only places in Australia still preserved from diseases. "We can't even send koalas to dry land to treat them because they would be contaminated," added the young woman.
If the situation seems under control, a new gale is announced this week. And already makes the 4,000 inhabitants of the Kangaroo Island tremble, says Julie: “There is a tremendous surge of solidarity among the inhabitants. But we feel that the fear is palpable too. And anger too. "
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