Fire season has begun in the Southern Hemisphere

Year after year, vast regions of the entire surface of the earth are devastated by fires. Despite safety measures, these disasters cannot be stopped. More than 2,000 people were ordered to evacuate last week from towns in the Australian state of Victoria due to an out-of-control bushfire. Regional emergency services have ordered residents in the towns of Raglan and Beaufort, home to about 2,000 people, as well as those in surrounding areas to leave their homes while they can safely do so and head east to the nearby regional centre, Ballarat, located 95 kilometers west of Melbourne. The flames covered an area of about 50 square kilometers northwest of Ballarat. An area of similar size was engulfed by the out-of-control flames a little further to the west. The Prime Minister of this state, Jacinta Allan, said that more than 1,000 firefighters were mobilized, assisted by 24 aircraft and more than 100 vehicles. Staff will be added soon. "Immediate evacuation is the safest option for these communities," she said at a press conference. "If you are located in these areas, please heed this advice, please act now to save your life," added Jacinta Allan. According to Australian officials, no property damage has been reported, but it is still too early for an accurate assessment. Wide swathes of the state are under a fire watch, and the Bureau of Meteorology has issued extreme fire warnings for several districts due to dry, hot winds and the potential for thunderstorms. Temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in the north-west of the state of Victoria.