March 05, 2014 - AUSTRALIA - Towering flames reach to the sky in a spectacular scene that resembles a volcano eruption as a wall of fire rages at an Australian coal mine.
Dramatic photographs have emerged of an out-of-control fire at Hazelwood open-cut coal mine, which has left the Victorian town of Morwell exposed to smoke and ash.
The fire is burning over 400 hectares of land, with flames reaching between 20 and 50 metres high.
Sick and elderly people are being urged to leave the town, amid mounting concern over the health risks associated with rising carbon monoxide levels.
The Government is expected to make an announcement today on the recommended course of action for thousands of residents in Victoria's LaTrobe Valley who have been enveloped by a thick, smokey haze for the past three weeks after the coal mine blaze broke out.
Fresh fears of potential landslides have emerged, as firefighters pour tens of thousands of water on the out-of-control fire at the mine pit.
While firefighters do their best to contain the blaze, there are new concerns that the mine's walls may not be structurally sound with cracks opening up along the mine's southern walls.
WATCH: Town choked by coal mine fire that could burn for months.
Vulnerable people such as the elderly, young children, pregnant women and anyone with respiratory conditions are being urged to leave the area.
Emergency officials says that although an evacuation has not been declared, they are recommending people leave the area if they are affected by the smoke.
On February 9 an arsonist lit a bushfire that spread to the site in Morwell, Victoria, leaving Hazelwood open-cut mine ablaze. Coal mine fires like this one are particularly hard to put out because they are difficult for firefighters to access underground.
Even if the fire looks extinguished it keeps smouldering. A mine spokesperson told MiningAustralia.com.au: ‘You can drop a bucket of water over it and it looks like the fire is out, but it will come back as a smouldering fire.’
Morwell, a town 150km east of Melbourne, is touted by tourism agencies as ‘Victoria’s energy centre’.
The town's 14,000 residents are worried about the long-term health risks associated with exposure to smoke, even though health officials say there is no risk.
‘We are in the dark, we don't know what's going on,’ one resident told ABC.
Authorities say the ‘best case scenario’ would see the fire extinguished in 14 days but concede it could take months.
And police are still hunting for the arsonist who they say has ‘knowledge of fire behaviour’ amid fears the perpetrator could strike again.
Detective Sen-Constable Jason Benbow said police were focusing on arsonists who had struck before, The Herald Sun reported.
'We think someone with local knowledge is behind this, and definitely a knowledge of fire behaviour.
‘This fire has caused millions and millions dollars of damage, not to mention the health effects it has caused, plus the possibility of the power station going down.’
Victoria's chief health officer Rosemary Lester said an evacuation plan had been prepared but it was not yet necessary to carry out.
‘We've been keeping a very close eye on the carbon monoxide and that has not been a level of concern, which is good,’ she said.
About 25,000 face masks have been given to residents, Vice reported.
Residents are gathering evidence in order to launch a possible class action against the owners of the mine.
Local protest organiser Nerissa Albon said: ‘We're going to collect data to find out whose businesses are suffering and what are the health issues.
‘They're scared, they're starting to get annoyed now.... nobody can say when it's going to finish, it could go on for months. They would want compensation.’ - Daily Mail.
The joint study by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and the Bureau of Meteorology said temperatures across Australia were, on average, almost 1.0 degree Celsius warmer than a century ago.
Seven of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 1998 while over the past 15 years the frequency of very hot months has increased five-fold, it said.
The scenario was starkly illustrated in 2013, which was Australia’s hottest year since records began in 1910 and included a prolonged national heatwave.
Megan Clark, chief executive of the CSIRO, Australia’s peak science body, said the country has warmed in every state and territory and in every season.
“Australia has one of the most variable climates in the world. Against this backdrop, across the decades, we’re continuing to see increasing temperatures, warmer oceans, changes to when and where rain falls and higher sea levels,” Clark said.
“The sea-surface temperatures have warmed by 0.9 C since 1900 and greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise.” Australia is routinely hit by bushfires during its December-February summer months, with hot windy conditions again fanning hundreds of blazes this season with dozens of homes destroyed.
The report said it would only get worse.
“A further increase in the number of extreme fire-weather days is expected in southern and eastern Australia, with a longer fire season in these regions,” it said of areas devastated by fires this year.
It also forecast less rainfall in southern Australia and more severe droughts in a grim warning for farmers. The report, released every two years, added that tropical cyclones were projected to decrease in number but increase in intensity, while rising seas levels would cause more problems for coastal dwellers.
The report said Australian temperatures could rise by 1.0 to 2.5 C by 2070, compared to 1980 to 1999, depending on the level of greenhouse gas emissions.
While cutting global emissions would be crucial to preventing the worst global warming has in store, that alone would not be enough, the agencies warned.
“Adaptation is required because some warming and associated changes are unavoidable,” it said.
Neville Nicholls, a professor at the School of Geography Environmental Science at Monash University, said Australia was already working to deal with climate change on a practical level.
“Luckily, we have started to adapt to these risks,” he said.
“Heat alert systems in many cities across the world, including Australia, are starting to reduce some of the impacts of severe heat events. And governments, fire services, and bureaucrats have worked to improve the way we prepare for and deal with bushfires; this is an effective climate change adaptation, even if it was not done specifically in response to the climate-driven increased risk.”
Jim Salinger , a climate scientist at the University of Auckland, predicted that the growing heat risks in Australia would see more people moving to the cooler climate of neighbouring New Zealand. - Borneo Post.
 |
| Engulfed: These pictures shot by the fire service show staggering scenes at Morwell, Victoria, where Australian firefighters have been battling for three weeks to put out a fire which has engulfed the coalmine. |
 |
| Wall of fire: Coalmine in Morwell, Victoria, Australia has been on fire
for almost three weeks after an arsonist lit bushfire that spread. |
Dramatic photographs have emerged of an out-of-control fire at Hazelwood open-cut coal mine, which has left the Victorian town of Morwell exposed to smoke and ash.
The fire is burning over 400 hectares of land, with flames reaching between 20 and 50 metres high.
Sick and elderly people are being urged to leave the town, amid mounting concern over the health risks associated with rising carbon monoxide levels.
The Government is expected to make an announcement today on the recommended course of action for thousands of residents in Victoria's LaTrobe Valley who have been enveloped by a thick, smokey haze for the past three weeks after the coal mine blaze broke out.
 |
| Flare up: Firefighters work through the night to battle a blaze that
continues to burn at Hazelwood coalmine at Morwell, Victoria, in Australia. |
 |
| Health risk: Smoke from the fire is causing rising levels of carbon monoxide for nearby residents in the town of Morwell. |
Fresh fears of potential landslides have emerged, as firefighters pour tens of thousands of water on the out-of-control fire at the mine pit.
While firefighters do their best to contain the blaze, there are new concerns that the mine's walls may not be structurally sound with cracks opening up along the mine's southern walls.
WATCH: Town choked by coal mine fire that could burn for months.
Vulnerable people such as the elderly, young children, pregnant women and anyone with respiratory conditions are being urged to leave the area.
Emergency officials says that although an evacuation has not been declared, they are recommending people leave the area if they are affected by the smoke.
On February 9 an arsonist lit a bushfire that spread to the site in Morwell, Victoria, leaving Hazelwood open-cut mine ablaze. Coal mine fires like this one are particularly hard to put out because they are difficult for firefighters to access underground.
 |
| Douse the flames: Fire crews watch on as helicopters are deployed to battle the fire from above. |
 |
| Broader view: Fire smoulders at Hazelwood coal mine in Victoria, where
firefighters have been battling the blaze for close to three weeks. |
Even if the fire looks extinguished it keeps smouldering. A mine spokesperson told MiningAustralia.com.au: ‘You can drop a bucket of water over it and it looks like the fire is out, but it will come back as a smouldering fire.’
Morwell, a town 150km east of Melbourne, is touted by tourism agencies as ‘Victoria’s energy centre’.
The town's 14,000 residents are worried about the long-term health risks associated with exposure to smoke, even though health officials say there is no risk.
‘We are in the dark, we don't know what's going on,’ one resident told ABC.
Authorities say the ‘best case scenario’ would see the fire extinguished in 14 days but concede it could take months.
And police are still hunting for the arsonist who they say has ‘knowledge of fire behaviour’ amid fears the perpetrator could strike again.
Detective Sen-Constable Jason Benbow said police were focusing on arsonists who had struck before, The Herald Sun reported.
'We think someone with local knowledge is behind this, and definitely a knowledge of fire behaviour.
‘This fire has caused millions and millions dollars of damage, not to mention the health effects it has caused, plus the possibility of the power station going down.’
 |
| Wide angle: Smoke drifts over the Hazelwood coal mine, causing a health hazard to the nearby community. |
 |
| The fire could take months to extinguish because coalmine fires are hard to access and keep smouldering. |
 |
| Cracks in the earth reveal exposed coal seam burning underground. |
Victoria's chief health officer Rosemary Lester said an evacuation plan had been prepared but it was not yet necessary to carry out.
‘We've been keeping a very close eye on the carbon monoxide and that has not been a level of concern, which is good,’ she said.
About 25,000 face masks have been given to residents, Vice reported.
Residents are gathering evidence in order to launch a possible class action against the owners of the mine.
Local protest organiser Nerissa Albon said: ‘We're going to collect data to find out whose businesses are suffering and what are the health issues.
‘They're scared, they're starting to get annoyed now.... nobody can say when it's going to finish, it could go on for months. They would want compensation.’ - Daily Mail.
Australia To Get Hotter And Bushfire Season To Last Longer.
Australia will suffer more days of extreme heat and a longer bushfire season as greenhouse gases force temperatures to continue rising, a new report warned yesterday.The joint study by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and the Bureau of Meteorology said temperatures across Australia were, on average, almost 1.0 degree Celsius warmer than a century ago.
Seven of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 1998 while over the past 15 years the frequency of very hot months has increased five-fold, it said.
The scenario was starkly illustrated in 2013, which was Australia’s hottest year since records began in 1910 and included a prolonged national heatwave.
Megan Clark, chief executive of the CSIRO, Australia’s peak science body, said the country has warmed in every state and territory and in every season.
“Australia has one of the most variable climates in the world. Against this backdrop, across the decades, we’re continuing to see increasing temperatures, warmer oceans, changes to when and where rain falls and higher sea levels,” Clark said.
“The sea-surface temperatures have warmed by 0.9 C since 1900 and greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise.” Australia is routinely hit by bushfires during its December-February summer months, with hot windy conditions again fanning hundreds of blazes this season with dozens of homes destroyed.
The report said it would only get worse.
“A further increase in the number of extreme fire-weather days is expected in southern and eastern Australia, with a longer fire season in these regions,” it said of areas devastated by fires this year.
It also forecast less rainfall in southern Australia and more severe droughts in a grim warning for farmers. The report, released every two years, added that tropical cyclones were projected to decrease in number but increase in intensity, while rising seas levels would cause more problems for coastal dwellers.
The report said Australian temperatures could rise by 1.0 to 2.5 C by 2070, compared to 1980 to 1999, depending on the level of greenhouse gas emissions.
While cutting global emissions would be crucial to preventing the worst global warming has in store, that alone would not be enough, the agencies warned.
“Adaptation is required because some warming and associated changes are unavoidable,” it said.
Neville Nicholls, a professor at the School of Geography Environmental Science at Monash University, said Australia was already working to deal with climate change on a practical level.
“Luckily, we have started to adapt to these risks,” he said.
“Heat alert systems in many cities across the world, including Australia, are starting to reduce some of the impacts of severe heat events. And governments, fire services, and bureaucrats have worked to improve the way we prepare for and deal with bushfires; this is an effective climate change adaptation, even if it was not done specifically in response to the climate-driven increased risk.”
Jim Salinger , a climate scientist at the University of Auckland, predicted that the growing heat risks in Australia would see more people moving to the cooler climate of neighbouring New Zealand. - Borneo Post.
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