澳洲山火未止　義務消防員除夕殉職

立場新聞 2020/01/01 10:33

    澳洲山火火勢至今仍然持續，新南威爾斯及維多利亞州都均受嚴重山火影響。昨日新州火災更奪去義務消防員 Samuel McPaul 的性命。

    Dramatic footage shows firefighters driving through a bushfire in Australia as their truck is lashed by flames https://t.co/fRUAmLlaWU pic.twitter.com/38u8HoKLRF

    — CNN (@CNN) December 31, 2019
    根據當地消防部門記錄，新州在除夕至少有 100 宗山火同時發生，但全部已受控制及會被繼續監控。維州昨日亦有數十宗山火，現時有至少 7 宗山火仍處於緊急狀態。昨日除至少一名消防員殉職外，當地南部一對分別為 63 及 29 歲父子 Robert Salway 及 Patrick Salway 在保護家園時死亡。由去年 12 月尾至今，全國山火已導致至少 5 人失蹤。悉尼晨鋒報形容，澳洲的 2019 年是以最致命的一日結束。
    新州山林消防部門局長 Shane Fitzsimmons 於當地時間今晨舉行記者會，指昨日已調派至少 3,000 名消防員滅火。他形容當地大量建築被破壞。「我們不單見到外屋和家國受破壞，不少社區設施亦遭焚毀。我們所指的是商舖、大樓，也有報告指部份學校，其中有兩三間受山火嚴重影響。」

    Earlier this morning in Mallacoota.

    "A mother took this photo. Her two primary school aged sons are in the boat with her. They're out on the Mallacoota lake trying to stay safe from fire, it doesn't look like it but it's daytime." - @ABCGippsland pic.twitter.com/WVi1Mz8dTz

    — Sean Power (@seanpowerAU) December 31, 2019
    受嚴重山火影響，多地空氣質素變得極為惡劣。不少山火災區天空變得泛紅，其中維州南部市鎮 Mallacoota 居民昨日更需疏散至海灘暫避。南部地區災情嚴重，當地海軍已派員參與救援。當地氣候部門預計未來下半周天氣將略有改善，但周六或會再次轉差，將影響救援工作。
    來源：
    Canberra Times, Bushfires reach Batemans Bay, 31 December 2019
    The Guardian, Australia fires live news: Victoria and NSW count cost of New Year's Eve bushfires destruction – latest updates, 1 January 2020
    SBS, 'Just heartbreaking': NSW volunteer firefighter killed while battling blaze near Victorian border, 31 December 2019
    Sydney Morning Herald, 'Extraordinary' 2019 ends with deadliest day of the worst fire season, 31 December 2019
    Sydney Morning Herald, Naval ships and helicopters heading to bushfire rescue, 31 December 2019
    Herald Sun, Mallacoota residents and holiday-makers flood to foreshore as bushfires raze homes, 1 January 2020
    文／Edward Ho、審核／