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. “We’re looking at a globally significant fire season in Australia,” he added. The numbers from Australia dwarf those from some of the most high-profile fires in recent years. The bushfires in southeastern Australia this season have burned about eight times as much land as the 2018 fires in California, which covered nearly two million acres and were the worst in that state’s recorded history.

Source: New York Times January 21, 2020 12:00 UTC