"Atomic Bomb-Level" Australian Wildfires Prompt 'Largest Ever' Reserve Troop Deployment

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Juhyung] As massive wildfires continue to ravage southeastern Australia for over three months, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has issued a reserve forces mobilization order to combat the fires and support the affected areas.

On the 4th (local time), according to BBC and The New York Times, describing the worst wildfire situation as "not a fire but an atomic bomb level," Prime Minister Morrison instructed the deployment of 3,000 reservists to assist in firefighting during a TV press conference.

Regarding this, Prime Minister Morrison stated, "With today's decision, more soldiers will be deployed on the ground, more aircraft will fly in the sky, and more ships will be launched at sea."

Australian Defense Minister Linda Reynolds explained, "This is the first time in my memory that so many reservists have been called up," adding, "It will likely be the first time in our history."

Due to the impact of Australian wildfires, the sky over the Sydney Opera House is completely ashen. / Photo by Yonhap News

In southeastern Australia, wildfires have been occurring for over three months since late September last year. So far, a total of 24 people have died, about 2,000 homes have been lost, and 48,562 square kilometers of greenery have burned. This area is larger than the entire land area of Switzerland (41,285 square kilometers), turning the land into ashes.

The wildfires have also caused significant damage to wildlife living in Australia. According to ecologists from the University of Sydney, approximately 480 million mammals, birds, and reptiles have died so far, with koalas suffering particularly severe losses.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.