'There is now no higher priority for the entire Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government at this time than this bushfire threat,' ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said.
Currently the Orroral fire has now spread across an area equivalent to around 8 percent of the total surface area of the Australian Capital Territory, home to about 400,000 people.
The state of emergency—which provides emergency services with extra powers and resources—is effective immediately and will be in place for as long as the city of Canberra is at risk. A pyrocumulonimbus cloud is generated by the intense Orroral Valley bushfire burning to the south of Canberra on January 31, 2020.The chief minister said the reason behind the declaration was to allow Canberrans—especially those in the southern district of Tuggeranong—to prepare for the weekend, noting that this would understandably cause"anxiety" for those who lived through the devastating bushfires which affected the territory in 2003.
Fires have raged in the territory for several weeks, during which time officials have maintained a state of alert.Local officials have already been making preparations as the Orroral fire grows. Endangered species and precious wildlife have been relocated from the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, three days of water supplies have been pumped into city reservoirs and evacuation centers have been set up.
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