‘The Sun Goes Blood Red’, Maltese Family Wakes Up To Ashy Skies As Australia Plunges Into Darkness Due To Ongoing Bushfires
Over the past week, the Australian bushfires have escalated to an entirely new and dangerous level pushing people out of their homes and countless species to extinction.
Though the Maltese community remains relatively safe, Thomas Abela, who resides in a suburb of Greater Western Sydney, has been putting up with these bushfires for months now and his personal anecdotes of recent events sound like he’s living in a post-apocalyptic reality.
“We’ve been putting up with the smoke for about two months now. Some days, it’s so bad, that the sun goes blood red,” Abela told Lovin Malta.
On bad days, Thomas and his family wake up to a red sky and ash in the air, something they have become used to as a result of the ongoing bush fires that keep on tormenting the New South Wales region.
“I’m living in Baulkham Hills and in all honestly we’ve been relatively safe here. The closest fire was about a 30-45min drive.”
Though Thomas and his family may be safe, the Maltese-Australian has experienced first hand the sight of the deadly bushfires as he made his way to and from work.
“I drove through a grass fire on the side of a highway coming back from working at Beyond the Valley. It was so smoky that you can see it coming through the a.c. vents in the car if you leave them open.”
So far, the Australian bushfire season has burned through about 5.8m hectares of bush the result of which will certainly push several species to extinction according to ecologists.
The fires are so deadly and widespread that animals fleeing from them run out of places to escape. Experts are predicting that the number of animals affected is close to half a billion.
A burnt carcass of a kangaroo in Sarsfield, East Gippsland. Photograph: James Ross/EPA
Reports also indicate that twenty people have also died as a result of the blazing wildfires.
“I’m really fearing for this country, we can only hope for some insane storm,” Abela said.
Having spoken to several members of the Maltese community in Sydney, it appears that everyone is safe for the time being.
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