This article was last updated on February 13, 2025
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Destructive fire on the island of Amsterdam in Pacific Ocean
A forest fire has been raging on the island of Amsterdam in the Indian Ocean for almost a month. The fire has more than the half of the island Destroyed, French media report.
The Amsterdam Island has a Dutch name but belongs to the French southern areas (Taaf), A overseas part of France. The island, more than 3200 kilometers from Mauritius, is one of the most isolated places in the world.
The French government says it is powerless: the fire cannot be extinguished because the island is too far from civilization. It is therefore necessary to wait until it rains. That is the only way to get freshwater on land.
Noshet Island of Amsterdam in the Indian Ocean
The fire broke out in the vicinity of the only inhabited settlement Martin-de-Viviès. There is a station where research is being done into greenhouse gases and air pollution. On satellite images from three days ago you can see that more than half of the island was destroyed by the fire.
The 31 residents of the village, mainly scientists and staff of the research station, could be evacuated on time thanks to a lobster fisherman’s boat. According to the French authorities on January 16, they were coincidentally along the island and could take the people with them.
The impact of the fire is enormous according to nature conservationists. The island has a biodiversity that can be found almost nowhere else in the world. It is among other things the habitat of various albatross species, including the Amsterdamalbatros. That kind of breeds exclusively on the island. Also the endangered Atlantic yellow -nose albatros Live in Amsterdam.
The French authorities have planned a reconnaissance mission for this week to map the impact of the fire.
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