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Bushfire crisis: Conditions ‘may not be survivable’

Firefighters are “in for the long haul” as extreme weather threatens to worsen conditions in fire-ravaged parts of Victoria.

Megan PalinMegan Palin
4 min read
January 4, 2020 - 10:08PM
Teen fights ferocious blaze with garden hose

More emergency warnings have been issued in Victoria’s fire-ravaged east as worsening conditions continue to threaten the state’s alpine region and northeast.

At a press conference on Saturday evening, Premier Daniel Andrews said almost 900,000 hectares had been burnt and there are 53 fires still burning across the state with 13 at emergency warning level.

But there was some good news with the number of people missing in the East Gippsland area revised down from 21 to six who could not be accounted for.

Mr Andrews said while there were “very real fears” for the safety of the missing people it was a positive so many had been found.

“We are by no means out of this,” he said.

“Tonight is going to be very challenging, with those south-westerly winds and still some high temperatures, despite the change in the northeast. Townships will continue to be under threat. “Lives can be lost if people don’t follow the instructions they’re given, and I have to report we can’t give you an accurate count at this stage, but properties have been lost.”

In Gippsland firefighters were working to save critical infrastructure and the Country Fire Authority’s Andy Gillham said they were “in for the long haul”.

“This is a marathon event and we expect to be busy managing these fires for at least the next eight weeks.”

The fires have already killed Buchan man Mick Roberts and Maramingo Creek man Fred Becker.

About 70 per cent of the 100,000 population of the fire-impacted East Gippsland have fled.

Major highways have been closed for days, phone and powerlines are down, and residents have been told not to drink tap water amid contamination fears.

Heavy smoke has prompted an air quality alert for the Central, North Central, Northern Country, North East and Gippsland Regions by the Environmental Protection Authority.

In the town of Omeo, about 50 people were choppered off the oval where about 350 locals gathered as part of their community protection plan.

RELATED: Live coverage of the NSW, VIC and SA bushfires

Erratic winds are fuelling increased fire activity and people across East Gippsland, northeast Victoria and other areas are being told it is too late to leave.

At least 50 bushfires continue to burn, and two people have been confirmed dead.

A state of emergency has been declared for both Victoria and NSW.
A state of emergency has been declared for both Victoria and NSW.

Defence aircraft are working to evacuate people from critical areas, including Omeo and Swifts Creek, where winds have pushed fire fronts toward the towns.

Army Lieutenant Colonel Sharon Coates told AAP aircraft were on the ground at Swifts Creek and Omeo and were hoping to evacuate people to Bairnsdale as soon as conditions allowed.

More than 1,000 evacuees from the coastal town of Mallacoota, where tourists and residents were trapped, safely arrived in port.

The navy ship MV Sycamore arriving at the port of Hastings around 8am this morning with evacuees from Mallacoota due to massive bushfires. Picture: Ian Currie
The navy ship MV Sycamore arriving at the port of Hastings around 8am this morning with evacuees from Mallacoota due to massive bushfires. Picture: Ian Currie

The first evacuees from Mallacoota arrived at Hastings port on Saturday morning, earlier than expected.

The 60 people on board HMAS Sycamore will be taken to a relief centre at a nearby Sommerville recreation ground.

HMAS Choules carrying 1,100 people, arrived on Saturday afternoon, just as skies in the town once again turned an eerie red.

“Both the Sycamore and Choules will resupply and head back to Mallacoota,” Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp told Nine on Saturday.

“It’s not just the ships, we have a plan in place and we know the area is significantly impacted by smoke.

“We have Chinooks that can carry 50 people, they are ready to go based at East Sale the RAAF Base there, if the smoke clears we can get them in.”

Blackhawks have also been flying aged and infirm people out of the fire grounds.

Communities in the worst-hit areas have been urged to evacuate, with about 500 people at a relief centre in Bairnsdale on the western edge of the Gippsland fires.

Parts of Gippsland were forecast to hit 40C and areas of the northeast to reach 45C on Saturday, before a gusty southerly change in the afternoon.

There are fears dry lightning storms will start more fires.

Bushfires continue to rage in several Australian states.
Bushfires continue to rage in several Australian states.

Total fire bans have been declared on Saturday for the Mallee, Northern Country, North Central, North East, East Gippsland, West and South Gippsland weather districts.

An unprecedented state of disaster was declared on Thursday, triggering powers introduced after the devastating 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, including allowing authorities to compel people to leave.

Areas covered by the declaration are the East Gippsland Shire, Mansfield Shire, Wellington Shire, Wangaratta Rural Shire, Towong Shire and Alpine Shire.

It also covers Mount Buller, Mount Hotham and the Mount Stirling Alpine Resorts. Evacuation alerts are in place across East Gippsland and in the Alpine region.

Total fire bans are in place across the north and east of the state.

Laura Freeman, 35, has holidayed in Mallacoota for more than two decades. She was staying at a caravan park with her husband and two children, who are aged one and three, when the approaching fire trapped them in the town.

In the ensuing, terrifying hours, Ms Freeman and her family watched the sky turn black and red. They spent some time sheltered in their car, but smoke seeped in and forced them out. Later, stuck indoors with dozens of others, she texted her mother, believing they were not going to make it.

Those conditions would obviously be hard enough to endure as an adult, but Ms Freeman and her husband also had to deal with the stress of keeping their children safe.

Laura Freeman’s son’s arm was marked with black marker in case they became separated.
Laura Freeman’s son’s arm was marked with black marker in case they became separated.

At the suggestion of authorities, they wrote an emergency contact number on the kids’ arms with black marker, in case they became separated.

Ms Freeman was relieved when she heard the ADF was going to evacuate the town.

That relief was short-lived. At a community meeting on Thursday, her husband was told the family would not be able to go with the ADF, because anyone on board the ship would have to climb a rope ladder – something the young children couldn’t do.

On top of that, the couple learned aerial extraction would also be unavailable because of the weather conditions.

Ms Freeman’s family ultimately got lucky, as two privately owned “luxury” boats showed up Thursday morning to evacuate them. They’re safe and well now, but if not for the generosity of those strangers, they would still be stuck in Mallacoota.

She said the biggest frustration was their lack of access to accurate information during the ordeal. The lack of power stopped people from charging their phones, and some of the information they did get access to was downright misleading.

“We’d rather have no information than have misleading information, and false hope,” she said.

But Ms Freeman was also struck by the incredible strength of her fellow evacuees.

– with AAP

megan.palin@news.com.au | @Megan_Palin

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/climate-change/too-late-to-leave-lives-under-threat-after-dramatic-escalation/news-story/a37cfa95c19df843d04196507b566cd5