The cloud of smoke caused by raging bushfires in Australia has been spotted more than 12,000 kilometers (7,400 miles) away in Chile and Argentina, weather authorities in the South American countries said on Monday.
In the early hours “the effect was seen in the sun through red tones. This effect was produced by a cloud of smoke that comes from the fires,” Chile Meteorology chief, Patricio Urra, told AFP.
The cloud has risen to 6,000 meters (6,500 yards) above sea level and there is no meteorological reason for it to fall back to earth, said Urra.
Regional meteorological company Metsul said the cloud could even reach Rio Grande del Sur state in Brazil
It poses no threat to Chileans.
The Argentine Meteorological Service published satellite images of the cloud saying it had been “transported by frontal systems that move from west to east.”
Australia has been burning for months
17 people have died
Ecologists @Sydney_Uni estimate half a billion animals have been killed
Some species likely to be pushed to the brink of extinction
And the #bushfires rage on
Time to declare #ClimateEmergency#auspol pic.twitter.com/HEdSU5MxaY
— Prof Ray Wills (@ProfRayWills) January 4, 2020
However, it added that all that would be visible was “a sun that’s a little redder.”
Read more: Australia scrambles to save people from apocalyptic fires
Regional meteorological company Metsul said the cloud could even reach Rio Grande del Sur state in Brazil.
What more evidence does this govt need to declare a #ClimateEmergency?
Right now Penrith (in Western Sydney) has reached a record temperature at 48.5°C (119.3°F)
It's currently the hottest place on Earth. Just stop to consider that.#NSWfires #AustraliaBurning #bushfires pic.twitter.com/XQE9OkmuoC
— Alex Wain-Mackay (@alexwain) January 4, 2020
Catastrophic bushfires have turned swathes of Australia into smouldering, blackened hellscapes and destroyed an area about the size of the island of Ireland, according to official figures.
In 17 years of reporting I’ve never seen anything like it. #MallacootaFires #vicfires #bushfires pic.twitter.com/3xTMENZcTP
— Natasha Exelby (@NatashaExelby) January 4, 2020
They have left 25 people dead and authorities warn the disaster still has weeks or months to run.
https://twitter.com/shabbirali714/status/1213830102552735746
https://twitter.com/julia_andre7/status/1213306359355019265
AFP with additional input by GVS News Desk.