SYDNEY — Australians who faced a “Black Summer” blaze that scorched millions of hectares say they may have lessons for European countries hit by some of the fiercest fires in living memory.

Firefighters in Europe and around the world are encountering wildfires of a new intensity – extreme weather events scientists have linked to human-made climate change.

For Australians, such fires are all too familiar.

Here’s what experts in Australia think the world can learn from the country’s long experience fighting bushfires on a vast, dry continent.

For Australia’s firefighters, the key is to prepare and try to prevent or reduce the risk of a catastrophic blaze.

Fires are uncontrollable when they exceed the firefighters’ ability to “put the wet stuff onto the red stuff fast enough to put them out”, bushfire consultant Roger Fenwick told AFP.

Carrying out controlled fires on a regular basis ensures that when the big one comes, its spread is contained.

“You have to do hazard reduction burning to get the fuel level down, so that the fire cannot develop an intensity beyond what we are capable of dealing with,” Fenwick says.

Besides controlled burning of bushland, that work can also involve clearing undergrowth with machines or even by hand.

While this does not prevent fires, it can dramatically reduce the risk of a catastrophic blaze.

Communities are kept alert about controlled burns through a website and mobile app run by the fire department.