A stark new warning has been issued for millions of Australians living in urban fringe areas, with experts stating they face a catastrophic risk of bushfires spreading into suburbs, mirroring recent disasters seen overseas.
Millions Living in the Fire Zone
According to a report from the Climate Council and Emergency Leaders for Climate Action, around seven million people reside on the urban bushland interface of major cities. Former New South Wales Fire and Rescue Commissioner Greg Mullins highlighted the scale of the danger during a television interview.
"What we're seeing here, as we saw with Black Summer, as we saw with Canberra in 2003, Black Saturday in 2009, our fires are also getting exponentially worse," Mullins stated. He explained that a major vulnerability lies in housing stock built before updated standards were introduced after the 2009 Black Saturday fires.
Homes Not Built to Withstand Ember Attack
A critical issue identified is that many homes in these high-risk zones predate the 2010 bushfire building standards. This leaves them highly susceptible to ignition from ember attack and radiant heat during a major fire event.
Mullins used a powerful analogy to describe how fires can spread through suburbs: "When fires got into the suburbs, homes that weren't built to standard caught alight. And then the three around them caught alight, and the nine around them caught alight and 27 was an exponential increase."
He identified extreme wind conditions as a primary factor in turning bushfires into urban fire disasters. The volunteer firefighter noted that Australia has already lost approximately 50 homes this fire season, with emergency alerts activated in Perth, areas around Sydney, the Central Coast, and Hobart.
High-Risk Areas and a Call to Action
Specific regions flagged as being most at risk include several parts of Sydney, such as the Northern Beaches, Sutherland Shire, western suburbs, Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Illawarra, and Newcastle. In Victoria, the Yarra Ranges and Dandenongs are vulnerable, along with the Perth Hills, Adelaide Hills, and areas around Hobart.
Mullins is urging the federal government to prioritise funding from its resilience and disaster-ready fund to help retrofit existing homes in high-risk areas to meet current safety standards.
"We need to educate people about the risk that they face and simple things they can do to keep themselves safe," he emphasised.
This urgent warning comes as firefighters continue to battle blazes across the nation, with predictions indicating that the next summer season could be even more severe.
