Canberra authorities blast ‘disaster tourists’ for disrupting fire fighting efforts

Tuesday, 30 Jan, 2020 0

Emergency services in Canberra have slammed the behaviour of so-called disaster tourists.

Multiple travellers are disrupting the important work of firefighters in order to get insta-worthy pics of bush fires.

Emergency authorities have taken to social media themselves to warn people of the consequences.

"We know the fire makes for some insta-worthy content. Stopping on the side of the road creates an unnecessary risk to public safety," the ACT ESA tweeted.

"Please do not clog our roads to take your own pictures."

ACT ESA’s Commissioner Georgeina Whelan called it ‘a disgrace.’

"Taking a great photo for Instagram is not worth your life. It’s not worth slowing down the response of my staff and volunteers who are working tirelessly to keep Canberra safe."

"Please don’t get on the roof of somebody else’s home to get that great shot. It’s not worth it. Please work with me to help keep Canberra safe," she said.

The Orroral Valley fire is visible from the city and with high temperatures and low humidity forecast, it could get much worse in the coming days.

Whelan said it may take many days or even weeks to bring it under control.

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

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