The U.S. State Department upped its travel warning level for Australia on Wednesday in the wake of the bushfires plaguing the commonwealth.
Australia’s travel advisory level increased from a Level 1 (exercise normal precautions) to at a Level 2 (exercise increased caution). Level 3 is “reconsider travel,” while Level 4 is “do not travel.”
“Exercise increased caution in Australia due to natural disaster/bushfires,” the top of the advisory reads. “Some areas have increased risk.” Experts say that human-caused climate change is making the situation worse.
The State Department calls this bushfire season “one of the worst in Australia’s recorded history,” and notes these fires could last through March or April.
The bushfires, which have been burning since September, have killed at least 25 people, destroyed 2,000 homes and killed an estimated 500 million animals. In all, about 15 million acres have burned across the country. To put it in perspective, the affected area is roughly the size of West Virginia.
