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The fire burned about 82,000 hectares of the small island, a popular tourist destination for its sand dunes and natural wealth, including dingoes (wild dogs), advanced Queensland fire and emergency services, where Fraser is located .
The main sources of the fire are in the eastern part of the island, where firefighters try to prevent the fire from reaching the Kingfisher Bay residential area.
The firefighting is conducted by a squad of 90 people and 38 vehicles, as well as 17 airplanes, and began six weeks ago when the fire broke out for reasons as yet unknown, although police suspect it was caused by a canceled evil fire. by a group of hikers.
The 17 fighter jets, including a large cargo plane, “threw about one million liters of water (991,000 liters to be exact) on the island,” firefighters said in a message posted on Facebook.
Some residents and cybernauts have criticized the slow reaction of the authorities, who, after extinguishing the fire, will have to inform the United Nations Agency for Education, Science and Culture (Unesco) about the damage caused on the island, called K’gari in the indigenous language.
According to ecology expert Patrick Moss of the University of Queensland, much of the island is adapted for firefighting, but there is great concern about the tropical forests around the Valley of the Giants and Central Station not far away. from the fire. .
“That’s where there can be long-term damage,” warned Moss, quoted by the Brisbane Times.
Climate change is exacerbating fires in Australia, especially in the south and east of the country, which last year suffered the worst forest fires in decades, with 24 million hectares burned and 33 dead.
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