Australia Braces for Elevated Wildfire Risk During El Nino Summer

Australian firefighters are preparing for increased wildfire risk as temperatures begin to rise across the southern hemisphere, following a severe fire season in Europe, Reuters reported (9-7-26).

Australia is experiencing a strong El Nino weather event, which typically brings hotter, drier conditions and a greater risk of wildfires. Large parts of Europe endured extreme summer heat that left vegetation dry and fueled severe fires, while Britain recorded its hottest summer on record and Italy its warmest in more than 75 years.

“We’re concerned this year that we’ll see increased fire risk (versus) prior years,” said Trent Curtin, head of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service. “We’re seeing some extraordinary conditions in the northern hemisphere at the moment. They’re experiencing fires that they haven’t seen for a couple of decades or maybe never seen before.”

Australia has a long history of severe wildfires, including the 2019–20 Black Summer fires, which burned an area roughly the size of Turkey and killed 33 people.

Authorities frequently conduct hazard reduction burns, in which sections of forest are deliberately burned under controlled conditions to reduce fuel and limit the spread of future wildfires.

“For this year we’re alert but not alarmed. We’re conscious of the fact that the seasonal outlook is expecting a busier than usual fire season—conditions will be quite dry, hot,” said Alex Capararo, a sector commander for the Forestry Corporation of New South Wales.

Peak fire danger season typically begins in mid-October in northern New South Wales and in December in southern parts of the state, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.