Three dead, others missing, 150 homes razed in firestorms
A third person has died in the bushfires raging through parts of NSW, where others are missing and at least 150 homes destroyed. A body was today found in a burnt-out home north of Taree.
NSW
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Three people are dead, others are missing and injured in unprecedented bushfires which have also destroyed at least 150 homes in NSW amid warnings of worse to come.
One man was found inside a burnt-out car on Saturday morning while a woman died in hospital after fire fighters found her suffering severe burns overnight.
The woman has been identified as 69-year-old Vivian Chaplain.
“They came into an area and found someone badly burnt,” Mr Fitzsimmons said.
“The reports were initially of 40-50 per cent of burns to her body. She was also unconscious and the crews were rendering first aid and CPR for several hours.”
Another body was found in a burnt-out home of the township of Johns River, north of Taree, on Saturday afternoon.
The house belongs to a 63-year-old woman but authorities have not formally identified the person. A post mortem will be conducted to determine identity and cause of death.
Earlier, Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons confirmed two people had died in the Kangawalla fire at Diehard, 50km east of Glen Innes in Northern NSW.
“They came into an area and found someone badly burnt,” Mr Fitzsimmons said.
“The reports were initially of 40-50 per cent of burns to her body. She was also unconscious and the crews were rendering first aid and CPR for several hours.”
The people who are unaccounted for are also missing in and around the Glen Innes fire.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian addressed reporters in Sydney today in the wake of the widespread bushfires.
She warned the number could rise, and said the community must brace itself for worse to come.
“We do need to brace ourselves and what is concerning is that the forecast weather conditions on Tuesday could mean that we’re not through the worst of it.”
She announced the appointment of Euan Ferguson as Recovery Coordinator to “oversee the response to the impact of the bushfire emergency”.
“The situation is very serious. Our thoughts and prayers go to the families and loved ones of those who have died, and to all who have been affected by these fires,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“It is already clear there has been extensive damage across vast areas and it is appropriate to appoint Mr Ferguson now to familiarise himself with the impacts as they develop.”
Ms Berejiklian and Emergency Services Minister David Elliott will fly to the bushfire-ravaged mid-north coast on Sunday to speak to firefighters ahead of another brutal day.
There were still 75 bush or grass fires burning in NSW with 39 uncontained, the fire service said. Six fires remain at emergency warning level, 10 at watch and act.
The RFS has urged people affected by the fires on the mid-north coast and northern NSW areas to register with the Red Cross. Earlier, there were reports of people trapped in their homes.
It previously said that many people have called for help but the size and speed of the fires means they can’t get to everyone.
Aerial footage showed “widespread” property damage and destruction as more than 80 fires burned at midnight on Friday night.
There are more than to 1200 firefighters and 70 aircraft battling the blazes after reinforcements have arrived from Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia.
Thousands of residents in the state’s north were forced to flee for their lives, and multiple buildings, including a school at Bobin, in the northwest, are believed to have been destroyed.
There are reports residents may have become trapped in a number of locations, with firefighters unable to reach them in time.
A weekend cool change is due to help firefighters but fire authorities warned the danger was not over, with hazardous conditions predicted to return early next week.
#SuomiNPP captured this image today of dramatic smoke from bush fires in New South Wales, Australia. These fires are introducing large amounts of smoke particles into the atmosphere, as seen in the 2nd S-NPP image. According to @NSWRFS, 45 of the 82 fires are not yet contained. pic.twitter.com/LeRvqrv9Az
— Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) (@JPSSProgram) November 8, 2019
The blazes were so intense and dangerous the NSW Rural Fire Service yesterday issued a warning to the public to avoid being caught in the open because the bushfires were creating their own weather system.
“Some are creating their own weather conditions and pyrocumulous clouds are developing,” the NSW RFS said.
“These are extremely dangerous.”
Pyrocumulous clouds can produce dry lightning.
Nineteen schools on the mid-north and north coast were forced to close yesterday, and motorists were stranded as the Pacific Highway was shut down in both directions between Taree and Bulahdelah and at Port Macquarie.
Towns, including Port Macquarie and Grafton, were bathed in an eerie red as the huge fires threatened homes.
“We have never had this many fires at emergency level,” RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.
Mr Fitzsimmons said very dry air, wind gusts of up to 80km/hr and low humidity had come on top of dry vegetation because of the drought.
“We cannot overstate the flammability of the fuel given the current drought,” he said.
He added that usually spot fires – caused by embers flying ahead of a fire front – would be 4km ahead but yesterday they were flying ahead by between six and 12km.
“So you get this exponential rapid spread of the main fire front moving across the landscape,” he said.
The RFS last night said they weren’t able to help everyone who called because of the “magnitude and speed of the fires”.
There is no rain forecast for the next week and temperatures are expected to remain in the high 20s and low 30s.
Temperatures are cooler than yesterday, with Port Macquarie forecast to reach 24C.