Huge bushfire raging in central Australia

A huge bushfire raging for over a week in central Australia has come very close to the popular tourist town of Tennant Creek, as authorities warn that changing wind conditions could pose a risk to residents, CNN reported.

Acting Northern Territory Chief Minister Nicole Manison declared an emergency situation for the entire Barkly local government area on Tuesday, and on Wednesday parts of the region, including Tennant Creek, were put under a “watch and act” alert.

A “watch and act” alert indicates a “heightened” threat level where conditions are changing and residents should start taking action to protect themselves and their families, according to the territory government.

Tennant Creek which is home to about 3,000 people, is a popular place for travellers to stop and rest as they drive through the outback along the Stuart Highway between Alice Springs and Darwin.

Authorities said Wednesday would be “the most critical” day for the town amid forecasts of changing wind conditions, including a shift in direction and speed.

By late Wednesday, the fire had breached containment lines to the north and south of the town, according to Chief Fire Controller Tony Fuller, who told the national broadcaster the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the fire was “30 or 40 kilometres away from Tennant Creek itself.”

Fires in the Barkly region of the Northern Territory were first reported on September 4 and have since spread to more than 2 million hectares (20,000 square kilometres), as per CNN.

Thick black smoke has hung over the region for days, generated by the fire and attempts by authorities to form containment lines.

“Back-burning operations will cause increased smoke within the Tennant Creek Township. Winds are likely to ease again at around 1700 hours,” Manison wrote in a Facebook update on Wednesday.

Back burning is a fire suppression strategy in which a fire is lit close to the edge of an active bushfire to burn out its fuel and halt its spread.