The Rural Fire Service says the total number of homes destroyed in the NSW bushfire crisis has risen to 300, as residents displaced by the fires wait to find out the fate of their homes. Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says his men are experiencing "despair" looking at the damage.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is “hugely relieved” that no more lives were lost amid a day of catastrophic fire danger in the state.
However the NSW Rural Fire Service have confirmed at least 50 homes were damaged or destroyed on Tuesday, with RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons admitting firefighters were “deflated” by the losses.
A strong southerly front on Tuesday caused worsening conditions for firefighters battling “volatile” conditions in NSW, with high winds sparking 300 new fire fronts and destroying more properties.
“A lot of detailed work, a lot of building impact assessment teams will be getting out in and around these fire grounds, in these burnt-out areas, when it is safe to do so, trying to take stock of exactly what has been lost, where it’s been lost,” Mr Fitzsimmons told reporters on Wednesday.
“We will update people not just on what’s been lost, but, most importantly, critically importantly, for communities, the firefighters themselves, who feel so deflated, who feel such sadness and despair at seeing so much loss.” Strong winds have pushed the fire at Hillville, in northern NSW near Taree, in a northwesterly direction along with blazes in other regions, as fires destroyed hundreds of thousands of hectares of bush.
No lives were lost on Tuesday, authorities say, and no one is missing. However three people have died since the fires ramped up on Friday and more than 300 homes have been destroyed since that time.
At one point, 15 fires were simultaneously at “emergency” level as Greater Sydney, Greater Hunter and Illawarra-Shoalhaven had the “catastrophic” rating. “I have to confess to being hugely relieved this morning that yesterday our amazing volunteers and emergency service personnel withstood the catastrophic conditions and did manage to save life and property,” Ms Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.
NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliott said the result was “a dividend paid by the great preparation” of the NSW Rural Fire Service. NSW remains in a state of emergency, with high temperatures, strong winds and low humidity causing treacherous conditions for some 3000 firefighters battling blazes. A statewide total fire ban is in place.
Fortunately heavy smoke on Tuesday morning served as an “insulation blanket” to the strong winds moving across the Northern Tablelands so several fires did not flare up as much as feared, Mr Fitzsimmons said.
But he warned the challenge ahead remained immense.
There are currently 73 fires burning across NSW, 50 of which are uncontained. No fires as at 9am on Wednesday were at “emergency” alert level after the 150,000 hectare Liberation Trail fire near Coffs Harbour was downgraded to “watch and act” level, alongside 16 other fires.
Hundreds of trucks were out in the field, along with 80 aircraft. “We were fortunate the catastrophic ranges were not sustained for the long durations that were originally expected,” Mr Fitzsimmons said. “But the amount of dense smoke that effectively blanketed northeastern NSW served as an insulation layer, served as a buffer.” As at 3pm on Tuesday, the Insurance Council of Australia said insurers had received 360 claim applications from catastrophe-hit NSW mid-north coast areas, with initial losses totalling $40 million.
While conditions are expected to ease on Wednesday, Mr Fitzsimmons said a forecast for severe weather into the weekend and another burst of hot air next week means “we simply aren’t going to get the upper hand on all of these fires”. The armed forces are still standing by to provide support, including for search and rescue operations and other logistical duties.
Some 600 schools were closed although most are expected to reopen, apart from about 140 state schools, mainly in the north.
Residents of Noosa North Shore, on the northern banks of the Noosa River, have been told to leave now, with the ferry the sole route out.
The fire is burning in the vicinity of Beach Road and the First Cutting, and may impact the Wallaby Track area soon.
Residents of Noosa North Shore, on the northern banks of the Noosa River, have been told to leave now, with the ferry the sole route out.
The fire is burning in the vicinity of Beach Road and the First Cutting, and may impact the Wallaby Track area soon.
Firefighters were concerned this change in weather would bring wind gusts of up to 90km/h, which would have forced the fires to start burning in a northerly direction and could have sent embers flying up to 30km.
However the black smoke clouds in the atmosphere acted as an insulation layer and buffer, reducing the severity of the winds and preventing the spread of fires.
“The amount of dense smoke that effectively blanketed northern NSW served as an insulation layer, served as a buffer, that prevented those strong winds that were building throughout the morning from mixing down and influencing the fire behaviour,” Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.
“The effort of the winds was really about trying to clear that smoke and it wasn’t until several hours later that once the smoke was cleared, that the wind was getting down (to ground level) and influencing that fire behaviour."
Firefighters were concerned this change in weather would bring wind gusts of up to 90km/h, which would have forced the fires to start burning in a northerly direction and could have sent embers flying up to 30km.
However the black smoke clouds in the atmosphere acted as an insulation layer and buffer, reducing the severity of the winds and preventing the spread of fires.
“The amount of dense smoke that effectively blanketed northern NSW served as an insulation layer, served as a buffer, that prevented those strong winds that were building throughout the morning from mixing down and influencing the fire behaviour,” Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.
“The effort of the winds was really about trying to clear that smoke and it wasn’t until several hours later that once the smoke was cleared, that the wind was getting down (to ground level) and influencing that fire behaviour."
“We’re estimating in the order, sadly, of another 50 homes that have been damaged or destroyed, and so far this season that would make it in the order of 300 homes,” RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.
“A lot of detailed work, a lot of building impact assessment teams will be getting out in and around these fire grounds, in these burnt-out areas, when it is safe to do so, trying to take stock of exactly what has been lost, where it’s been lost.
“We will update people not just on what’s been lost, but, most importantly, critically importantly, for communities, the firefighters themselves, who feel so deflated, who feel such sadness and despair at seeing so much loss.”
Three people have died since the fires ramped up on Friday and more than 300 homes have now been destroyed.
At one point, 16 fires were simultaneously at “emergency” level, although all have now been downgraded.
The former deputy prime minister stirred controversy while blaming the Greens for increasing the threat of bushfires and for saying that bushfire victims George Nole and Vivian Chaplain probably voted for the Greens.
Labor frontbencher Kristina Keneally slammed his remarks.
“How does he know who they voted for and why does it matter? They’re dead; they died in a bushfire. Isn’t that enough?” Senator Keneally said.
The Greens' Larissa Waters asked Finance Minister Mathias Cormann about Mr Joyce’s “vile” comments during Senate Question Time, with Senator Cormann replying that the comments were not appropriate.
But today, Mr Joyce told the New Daily the victims lived in an alternative community where most residents voted for the Greens, and his comments were meant to urge politicians to show more respect to their group.
“My point is I was saying ‘just be careful, you don’t understand’. If you came into my community and talked to them – I am not having a go at the Greens, I think that’s completely wrong,” he said.
“The people who live there are in a commune basically. Wytaliba is an alternative community. They don’t vote for me, they vote for Greens, and I’ve got no problem with it. They agree there should have been more burn reduction, fuel reduction.”
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NSW:
* 83 fires burning across the state, 50 uncontained
* More than 200 homes severely damaged, about 160 of them destroyed
* 17 fires burning at watch and act level
* More than 1.1 million hectares burned or burning – that's more than the combined total for the past three bushfire seasons
* Statewide total fire ban remains in place
* Catastrophic fire danger rating has been lowered to "very high" for the Greater Sydney, Hunter and Illawarra/Shoalhaven regions
* Very high fire danger ratings are in effect for the southern and central ranges and northwestern, northern slopes, north coast and far north coast regions
* Armidale is one notch higher, with a fire danger rating of "severe"
* 3000 firefighters deployed or on standby, 80 aircraft at the ready, 400 fire trucks in the field
* 13 firefighters were injured during Tuesday's catastrophic conditions, none of the injuries were life-threatening
* Eight members of the public were also treated on Tuesday
* Three people dead since Friday
* Hundreds of school remain closed
* Authorities warn it could take "many months" to bring all the fires under control and declare them safe unless there's rain
QLD:
* 14 homes lost since late last week
* 13 destroyed at Cobraball near Yeppoon in central Queensland; one at Cooroibah near Noosa
* 61 fires burning ahead of dangerous wind change on Wednesday
* Temperatures near some fire grounds to reach 6-8 degrees above average
* Severe fire danger for the Southeast Coast including Brisbane and the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, the drought-stricken Darling Downs and Granite Belt, and the Wide Bay and Burnett region
* New fire front threatening Spicers Peak Lodge in the Scenic Rim region west of Brisbane; leave now warning in place
* The Cobraball fire near Yeppoon in central Queensland continues to burn out of control
* State of fire emergency in force across 42 local government areas, total ban on outdoor fires and activities that can spark fires.
"The risk is here. The risk is real. We've got the worst of the summer, the worst of the season still ahead of us," Mr Fitzsimmons said.
"Look, there is nought doubt that this drought is having a profound effect on fire behaviour … we are investing in strategies, programs and technologies because we are mindful that the science is suggesting that fire seasons are starting earlier, and extending longer.
"Particularly when you have that with drought, you've got a volatile and very intense set of fire behaviours.
"That's what our strategies are aligned to – accommodating longer and hotter fire seasons."
Six firetrucks were perched on a high clearing to get the best view of the bushfire in the Bagawa State Forest, which yesterday afternoon was upgraded to emergency level and residents were told it was too late to leave.
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