Lou Island battles massive wildfires as drought and El Niño cripple firefighting efforts
Wildfires have engulfed much of Lou Island in Papua New Guinea, destroying roughly half its forest and overwhelming locals with limited tools. Authorities are pleading for aerial support and external aid.
Since early last week, a wildfire has raged across Lou Island, one of Papua New Guinea’s Admiralty Islands, and satellite images suggest that roughly fifty percent of its forest cover has been lost. One outlet broke through ridgelines toward Rei village overnight, driven by drought conditions, warm winds and the island’s steep, fuel-rich terrain. Local government official David Putulan warned that without helicopters or other technology, the effort to contain the fire is futile, while community leader Ngenge Sasa described residents resorting to buckets, knives and spades to carry seawater uphill.
Groundwater sources have dried, forcing people to haul ocean water, and children have been seen working dangerously close to the flames. The local wards have appealed to the capital, Port Moresby, and are now looking to the Australian and New Zealand High Commissions for possible aid. No response from those governments has been confirmed.
