世界遺産の豪フレーザー島　森林火災で面積４割被害も熱波で消火難航

【ブリスベンＡＦＰ＝時事】オーストラリア東海岸沖にある世界遺産のフレーザー島で、大規模な森林火災が発生し、30日までに島の総面積の4割に被害をもたらしている。島のあるクイーンズランド州は熱波に見舞われており、消火活動は難航している。（写真は豪クイーンズランド州フレーザー島の森林火災。州消防当局が撮影・提供）
　フレーザー島は世界最大の砂島で、豪在来種の野生犬ディンゴが多く生息することで知られる。熱帯雨林や砂丘湖、日々変化する複雑な砂丘の様子などが評価され、国連教育科学文化機関（ユネスコ）の世界遺産に登録された。
　島では６週間以上も森林火災が続いており、他に類を見ない貴重な森林が広範囲にわたって炎にのみ込まれている。気象予報ではクイーンズランド一帯を３０日に熱波が襲い、最高気温は３４度に達するとみられることから、火の勢いがさらに増す恐れがある。
　州公園・野生動物当局によると、火の手は２か所で広がり、これまでに島の総面積の４２％に相当する７万４０００ヘクタールが焼けた。
　隣接するニューサウスウェールズ州でも３０日、５０か所以上で森林火災が確認された。同州の州都で豪最大都市のシドニーでは週末、熱波により日中の最高気温４０度超を記録。２８日夜～２９日朝の最低気温は２５．３度と、観測史上最も暑い１１月の夜となった。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/12/01-08:03）

Australian firefighters are struggling to control a massive bushfire that already destroyed 40 percent of the UNESCO world heritage listed Fraser Island before a heatwave hit Monday.
The fire on the world's largest sand island, off Australia's east coast, has been raging for more than six weeks and is consuming large swathes of the island's unique forests.
Temperatures are forecast to peak at 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) Monday as a heatwave sweeps across the region, raising concerns that hotter conditions will further fuel the blaze.
The vegetation on Fraser Island is extremely dry and because it's so dry it's therefore very easy to ignite, incident controller James Haig told AFP.
Firefighters are not only battling very challenging weather conditions, he said, but are stymied by limited access to the blaze in the island's remote north.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service said the fire was burning on two fronts across 74,000 hectares (183,000 acres) -- or 42 percent of the island -- but was not threatening properties.
However, as the fire has inched closer to settlements in recent days, authorities have banned new visitors from travelling to the popular holiday destination and restricted ferry services until further notice.
Haig said as many as 10 water bombing aircraft had been deployed to fight the fire, including some tasked with protecting culturally significant Aboriginal sites.
Planes dropped about 250,000 litres of water on Saturday alone, but Haig said these efforts will not stop the fire but merely slow its progress.
We really need rain and we're unfortunately not likely to receive it for some time, he said.
About two-thirds of Queensland state, including Fraser Island, are currently in drought.
Fraser Island -- known for its large population of dingoes, or native wild dogs -- was listed as a world heritage site for its rainforests, freshwater dune lakes and complex system of sand dunes that are still evolving.
It is also called K'gari, or paradise, in the language of the local Butchulla people and the spectacular setting attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists a year.
Smaller bushfires are burning elsewhere in Queensland as temperatures there soar after a weekend heatwave saw records tumble in Australia's southeast, including in Sydney where the city's residents sweltered through two days above 40 degrees Celsius.
More than 50 bushfires were burning across New South Wales state on Monday, where a return to heatwave conditions is forecast Tuesday.
Australia is still reeling from the devastating 2019-2020 fires, which burned an area roughly the size of the United Kingdom and left 33 people dead as tens of thousands fled their homes.
The climate change-fuelled fire season also killed or displaced nearly three billion animals and cost Australia's economy an estimated US$7 billion.
The country is one of the world's leading fossil fuel exporters and the conservative government has dragged its heels on tackling carbon emissions, despite recent polling showing Australians are increasingly concerned about climate change.