A massive bushfire, which has been burning for more than a week in central Australia, has inched perilously close to the famous visitor town of Tennant Creek. Officials have cautioned that fluctuating wind directions could make the situation even riskier for townspeople.
Taking immediate action, Acting Northern Territory Chief Minister Nicole Manison announced an emergency status for the entire Barkly local government region on Tuesday. By Wednesday, several areas of the region, Tennant Creek included, were highlighted under a "watch and act" alert. The alert draws attention to an increased threat level and its implications - changing circumstances and the need for residents to take precautionary measures to ensure their safety and that of their families, the territory government explained.
With a population hovering around 3,000, Tennant Creek provides a resting stop for tourists on their drive through the outback on the Stuart Highway from Alice Springs to Darwin. On Wednesday officials signaled that conditions could become particularly critical in the town due to forecasted shifts in wind patterns, both in direction and speed.
By the end of Wednesday, all containment lines north and south of the town had been overrun by the fire, reported Chief Fire Controller Tony Fuller to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, stating that the fire was “30 or 40 kilometers away from Tennant Creek itself.”
Bushfires in the Barkly area of the Northern Territory were initially reported on September 4 and from then have expanded to cover over 2 million hectares (20,000 square kilometers). For several days, the region has been blanketed by thick black smoke from the fire and from containment attempts by authorities.
“Back-burning operations will lead to increased smoke within the Tennant Creek Township. Anticipated wind easing at around 1700 hours,” warned Manison on her Wednesday Facebook update. Back burning is a common fire control strategy that involves starting fires close to an existing bushfire to eliminate its fuel sources and stop its progress.
Additional personnel from South Australia arrived at Tennant Creek on Wednesday afternoon, according to Fuller.
Adding to the manpower, members of the Australian Defence Force were reported on site earlier on Wednesday cutting through identified tracks to slow the fire’s advance, disclosed James Gray-Spence, acting commander for Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services, to ABC radio Alice Springs. Fuller also expressed his confidence in the situation being under control. However, the ultimate effects of the fire would be contingent on the weather, he conceded.
This situation arrives hot on the heels of predictions by the Australasian Fire Authorities Council of an increased risk of bushfires across Australia, especially the Northern Territory, primarily because of climate change.
"We’ve encountered large fires before, but this one is the most extreme I’ve ever faced,” admitted Fuller earlier this week.
The anticipation of an extreme fire danger in several portions of the Northern Territory was also echoed by the Bureau of Meteorology earlier this week. The state is presently in the grips of a dry spell, characterized by above-average August temperatures and rainfall 94% below the 1961-1990 average, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's report.
