how big are fires in australia?
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The modern world has never seen anything quite like these Australia fires. About 16 million acres have burned in New South Wales and Victoria, where the crisis is centered. That's an area about the size of West Virginia. Millions more acres have burned in other parts of the country.
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On Wednesday the warning for the Yanchep fire, north of Perth, was downgraded to act to advice. The fire burned through 13,000 hectares of land, a home and a petrol station. Bushfires continue to rage across the country with a state of emergency declared for New South Wales on Thursday.
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While fire in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), home to the capital city, has spread to more than 55,000 hectares (136,000 acres), close to a quarter of the territory's entire landmass, the heat fuelling the danger is subsiding.
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Crews have been battling a front spanning 1,000km (620 miles) along the north coast of NSW, with several blazes "exceeding 100,000 hectares alone", officials have said. Flame retardant had to be dropped in Sydney's northern suburbs as some bushfires approached within 15km (nine miles) of the city centre.
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Raging bushfires have razed properties in Australia and briefly spread to suburbs of Sydney, officials say. Scores of fires are still burning in New South Wales amid temperatures of 35C (95F) and winds of 80km/h (50mph).
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Bushfires and grassfires are common throughout Australia. ... Bushfires are an intrinsic part of Australia's environment. Natural ecosystems have evolved with fire, and the landscape, along with its biological diversity, has been shaped by both historic and recent fires.
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(CNN) The fires in Australia have been burning for months, consuming nearly 18 million acres of land, causing thousands to evacuate and killing potentially millions of animals. They're showing minimal signs of slowing down.
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What is a bushfire? Bushfires and grassfires are common throughout Australia. Grassfires are fast moving, passing in five to ten seconds and smouldering for minutes. They have a low to medium intensity and primarily damage crops, livestock and farming infrastructure, such as fences.
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Every state and territory in Australia has experienced fires this summer. But the biggest fires burn along stretches of the eastern and southern coast, where most of the population lives. This includes areas around Sydney and Adelaide.
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'Sydney's mega fire is getting out of control' A "mega blaze" raging across a 60km (37 mile) front north-west of Sydney cannot currently be put out, Australian fire officials have warned. The fire across almost 300,000 hectares (1,150 sq miles) is an hour's drive from the nation's most-populous city.
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Officials In Australia's New South Wales Celebrate: 'All Fires Are Now Contained' Firefighters spray water on a smoldering tree in the wake of a bushfire near Bumbalong in New South Wales, Australia. February has brought much-needed rain to the state, where fires have burned about 13.3 million acres of land.
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Bushfires reach Melbourne as heatwave fans Australia blazes. ... Authorities in the country's second-biggest city downgraded an earlier bushfire emergency warning but said residents should steer clear of the blaze, which has burned through 40 hectares (nearly 100 acres) of grassland.
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Australia fires: heavy rain and cooler temperatures 'unlikely' to end bushfire threat. ... The RFS said there were more than 100 fires still burning across the state and many would take some time to fully contain, with 36 fires still burning out of control.
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About 40 bushfires are burning across the state following a heatwave, said Queensland Fire and Emergency Services. The most serious blaze, 450km (280 miles) north of Brisbane, has destroyed at least two homes, damaged four others and prompted evacuation orders.
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Australia storms: Huge hail causes chaos in two cities Storms have brought heavy rain to fire-hit regions of eastern Australia - but authorities warn the nation's bushfire crisis is still "far from over". More than 80 blazes were still burning across New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria on Monday, despite downpours.
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Record-breaking temperatures and months of severe drought have fuelled a series of massive bushfires across Australia. ... At least 33 people have been killed - including four firefighters - and more than 11 million hectares (110,000 sq km or 27.2 million acres) of bush, forest and parks across Australia has burned.
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More than 12.6 million hectares burned According to the Department of Home Affairs, to date more than 12.6 million hectares across Australia have been burned. To put that in some perspective, in New South Wales alone more than 5.4 million hectares have been burned, said Ben Shepherd from the NSW Rural Fire Service.