NSW Bushfires: Canberra’s southern suburbs told to prepare for ‘extreme’ weather as bushfire spreads
Crews have strengthened firebreaks around Canberra’s southern suburbs in a bid to protect the suburbs ahead of two days of ‘extreme’ weather.
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Residents of Canberra’s far southern suburbs will be on the frontline of what is feared could be the worst two days of bushfires in the national capital in 17 years.
The Orroral Valley fire in Namadgi National Park grew slowly on Thursday to 15,000 hectares, amid calmer weather conditions as authorities warned of “extreme” conditions on Friday and Saturday.
Soldiers and police doorknocked more than 2500 homes in the suburbs of Bonython and Greenway on Thursday alone, on top of doorknocking efforts earlier this week.
On Thursday afternoon, the firefront was within 2.1km of the village of Tharwa and 9km of homes in the city’s southernmost suburb of Banks.
ACT Emergency Services Agency Commissioner Georgeina Whelan urged residents to be calm but prepared for the worst.
“We do not want to paralyse the community into fear, we merely want to inform you,” she said.
Crews had bolstered containment lines around suburbs nearest the firefront and hundreds of residents attended community briefings on Thursday.
The Bureau of Meteorology was forecasting maximum temperatures of 41C on Friday and 42C on Saturday, with possible storms on Sunday.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said those in the potential path of the fire needed to be prepared to leave.
“You need a plan for when you will leave, you need a plan for where you will go and you need a plan for what you will take,” he said.
People in Southern Tuggeranong should be on “high alert”, he said.
“We’ve all seen the damage that uncontrollable fires can cause.”
“We’re expecting the dangerous weather conditions will result on the Orroral Valley fire growing significantly in size.”
A fleet of 14 firetrucks manned by 50 firefighters were on the fireground on Thursday, helped by eight aircraft, with more on their way late on Thursday.
ACT Police Minister Mick Gentleman said the 2003 fires, in which more than 400 suburban homes burned and four people died within ten hours, were “at the forefront of our minds”.
“This may be the worst fire season since 2003, we have been saying this for a number of months.”