A heat wave will lead to a worsening of the fire situation. Two forest fires could merge to a conflagration.

firefighters use in Tomerong photo: ap

CANBERRA taz | Now even the Australian capital of Canberra, the fire of fear: In the area of the Snowy Mountains in the South-East of the continent could unite within a few hours, two large fire to a 6,000-square-mile mega-fire – the equivalent of about seven times the area of Berlin. Prior to that, the authorities warned on Friday.

Only a few kilometers separated the two fires to each other. The southern fire is advancing from the state of Victoria towards New South Wales. Tens of thousands of residents and tourists were asked to leave the area. Usually places like Thredbo are this time of year, the destination for thousands of hikers. On Friday, the holiday places Ghost towns aligned.

Should it come to the fear of a unification of the fire, could the flames at corresponding wind conditions in the next days and weeks, to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) vorfressen, the part of the country, where the capital Canberra is located The fire Department is already preparing for days for the possibility of a flame attack on the metropolis.

late On Friday afternoon (local time) fought in the population of the state of New South Wales, more than 2,500 firefighters against nearly 150 fire. You will receive ongoing reinforcement from other countries. Also, a Team of American firefighters, specializing in the fire fighting in isolated areas of natural beauty, has arrived in Sydney.

The fire brigade had already been alerted to the start of the week prior to catastrophic weather conditions for Friday. Temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius and strong winds hampered the work of the forces values. This will remain the Saturday largely so, in spite of a slight slowdown in some areas.

"In the next hours, we will experience an increase in fire activity," said a spokesman for the rural fire brigade on Friday afternoon. But not only in New South Wales, the fire brigades were in continuous use. Residents fled ahead of the fire fronts that moved through parts of Eastern Victoria.

to leave this state, 240,000 people were invited via a mobile phone, the affected areas. The text messages inform the receiver, which places are at risk. Also on Kangaroo Island, off South Australia crews were faced with a raging winds, bone-dry Vegetation and high temperatures.

While firefighters fight the flames, risking their lives, is raging in the Australian media, a fight over the cause of the fire. For weeks, accused the Newspapers of Rupert Murdoch-controlled company News Corp., to trivialize the seriousness of the Situation and to disseminate falsehoods about the causes of the fire.

published On Friday, Australian media, the copy of an email the former News-Corps-financial Manager Emily Townsend is the Chairman of the Supervisory Board Michael Miller. In it, you, fear and disappointment, writes about the reporting of the Fires have affected your ability to work, "in particular, because of the misinformation campaign that has tried to attract the attention from the real issue, namely climate change, wegzuleiten to focus more on arson (including the false representation of facts)".

you think it would be "unconscionable to continue to work for this company, in the Knowledge that I am contributing to the spread of denial and lies about climate change. The reporting I've seen in The Australian, The Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun, is not only irresponsible, but also dangerous and harmful for our communities and our beautiful planet who needs it more than ever that we recognize the destruction caused by it and do something about it,“ writes Townsend more.

In a reaction, said Michael Miller, he'll be reporting in his Newspapers about the Bush fire. "Ms. Townsend resigned in December and should leave the News Corp soon," said Miller on Friday. Critics, among them leading climate experts, accusing the Murdoch-media to lead for years a campaign against climate science and renewable energy.