A heat wave swept across large areas of Australia on Sunday, leading authorities to warn of an increase in the possibility of forest fires in many parts of the country's vast state of Western Australia. The Meteorological Authority Office (MAO) has put out heat wave alerts for Western Australia, the neighbouring Northern Territory, and Queensland in the east, cautioning that temperatures could soar to around 45 degrees Celsius in some regions. Meteorological data indicates that in Perth, the capital of Western Australia and the country's biggest state, the peak temperature could hit 35 degrees Celsius on Sunday. This is over five degrees higher than the usual December temperature. This month, fires have struck Eastern Australia as a result of El Niño phenomenon, a weather pattern involves unusually high temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that lead to heatwaves, cyclones, droughts, and wildfires. According to the Western Australia State Emergency Services (SES) Agency 's website, over 20 bushfires were ablaze on Sunday, includes a fire near Pemberton, a town roughly 320 kilometres south of Perth with a population of about 5,000, which was not under control. A spokesperson from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) stated that the department anticipates weather conditions starting Sunday afternoon that could lead to more intense fires. This is due to a hot, dry wave with winds affecting a large portion of the state, including the capital, Perth. The DFES also warned about a heightened risk of fires in numerous regions of Western Australia. They stated that over the past five days, more than a thousand firefighters have been involved in combating fires across the state.
