Bushfire Disaster: Death toll rises to eight in Victorian, NSW tragedies
The NSW Rural Fire Service has named a “Tourist Leave Zone” on the south coast ahead of catastrophic fire conditions forecast for the weekend.
- Thousands without power, communication
- Bushfire death toll rises to 8
- NSW: Roads closed, communication ‘compromised’
- Vic: Thousands stranded, new threats
- Terrifying video of RFS truck overrun by fire
Eight people have died in NSW and Victoria, several more are missing and hundreds of properties are damaged or destroyed since bushfires flared on Monday.Fretting families and tireless firefighters saw in the New Year watching a cool change wreak further havoc across NSW and Victoria’s fatal firegrounds. Conditions have eased, but the battle is far from over.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 11.00pm: ‘Tourist leave zone’ set up
The NSW Rural Fire Service has named a “Tourist Leave Zone” on the south coast of the state ahead of catastrophic fire conditions forecast for the weekend.
Stretching 250km long from Batemans Bay to Wonboyn on the Victorian border and 160km wide to Badja, the area is expected to be hit with out of control fires once again as temperatures and winds soar on Saturday.
The RFS has stated that anyone holidaying in this area should leave before Saturday. Anyone planning to visit the area should not come.
Bushfires across the area have already have already caused massive damage over the new year, destroying at least 176 homes and claiming one life in Sussex inlet.
RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has warned that fires in the area on Saturday could be worse than those on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately that also correlates with where we have some of the worst, most damaging and destructive bushfires in NSW at the moment,” he said.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that residents in the area needed to brace for a weekend that could include more fatalities.
Tourist Leave Zone – South Coast Bush Fires
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) January 1, 2020
Dangerous conditions for holiday makers on the South Coast of NSW this weekend
With the widespread power and communications outages across the South Coast please share this information to as many affected people as possible. #nswrfs pic.twitter.com/JvbwrpC1fe
8.15pm: Death toll rises to 8
The death toll from the bushfire this week has risen to eight, with three more bodies found in NSW and one in Victoria.
NSW Police have confirmed the deaths of three more people in the South Coast bushfires, taking the toll to seven including volunteer firefighter Samuel McPaul who was killed on Monday night.
Loved great-grandfather and “larrikin” Mick Roberts, 67, has been identified as the first victim of East Gippsland’s bushfire tragedy.
My last day of the decade felt like the apocalypse. Been covering the Australian bushfires for the last 6 weeks, but haven’t seen anything like yesterdays fire that decimated the town of Conjola, NSW. #bushfirecrisis #AustralianBushfires #NSWisburning work for @nytimes pic.twitter.com/KmVKqDMKsf
— matthew abbott (@mattabbottphoto) January 1, 2020
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.30pm: Power restored to 11000
Power has been restored to more than 11,000 customers on NSW’s South Coast, although more than 30,000 people in the south-east of the state are still without power or internet.
Endeavour Energy restored power to customers in its network today on the mid south-coast between Ulladulla and Batemans Bay after bushfires destroyed 45 power poles in the area on New Year’s eve.
Facilities that experienced a total outage such as Milton hospital and local sewage treatment plants are now functioning without the assistance of generators.
Only 7000 people in the Endeavour network in the Sussex Inlet region and in isolated communities remain without power, down from over 17,000 on New Year’s Eve.
Endeavour Energy spokeswoman Janine Cullen says that the 45 destroyed power poles will need to be completely replaced.
“To offer affected customers some relief, Endeavour Energy is currently scoping the deployment of generators to supply customers where repairs to the network will take some time. The supply of generators, however, will not be feasible for all customers due to the level of damage or ongoing fires in the area.” she said.
32,000 People in and south of Batemans Bay on the Essential Energy network are still without power as of this evening.
6.45pm: RFS braces for worsening conditions on Saturday
Firefighters are bracing for worsening conditions in southern NSW and western Sydney with hot temperatures and strong winds forecast to return.
Rural Fire Service Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers warned conditions on Saturday could be worse than those on New Year’s Eve when aggressive bushfires tore through the south coast and caused widespread destruction.
“There is every potential that the conditions on Saturday will be as bad or worse than we saw yesterday (Tuesday),” he told reporters in Sydney.
The winds are expected to be very strong with temperatures forecast to surpass 40C, mixed with low humidity which is expected to produce a severe fire danger. The state’s southeast, the southern ranges, the Illawarra, south coast and the central ranges are expected to experience the worst of the conditions. Authorities are also concerned about the Green Wattle Creek fire southwest of Sydney which has broken containment lines.
“Crews are working hard to get some containment before Saturday but we are concerned about that fire because of its potential run into far western Sydney,” Mr Rogers said.
“Do not be in the path of these fires,” he said. “These fires are burning extremely ferociously.
“We’ve unfortunately seen how deadly they are. If its going to be a bad day just be away from that area.”
A cool change is expected on Saturday but not until late in the afternoon on the coast and even later in the ranges.
NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said winds are forecast to reach up to 60km/h on Saturday with stronger gusts which could cause “challenging” fire behaviour.
“The challenge down the south coast is that you’ve got these two winds that are going to be competing against each other on Saturday - a westerly and an easterly,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“When they converge together (they) create all sorts of different wind directions and all sorts of convergence on the fire ground which is going to increase the risk and increase the damage.” Seven people are dead amid the NSW bushfires this week while two people, aged 70 and 72, remain missing with more than 175 homes lost on the south coast.
Anne Barrowclough 6.20pm: Mallacoota family’s boat escape
An 11-year-old boy whose photo fleeing the Mallacoota bushfires by boat has been splashed across newspapers and websites, has spoken of his “scary” escape.
Finn Burns, his mother Allison Marion and brother Caleb took their boat out from Mallacoota Beach in East Gippsland early on Tuesday morning as thousands gathered on the beach to shelter from the fires.
Read the full story here.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 4.51pm: Kangaroo Island fires merge
The South Australian Country Fire Service has contained the fatal Cudlee Creek Fire as two fires on Kangaroo Island merge amid dry conditions and high winds.
The fires started 5km apart in an inaccessible part of the Ravine Des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area on the West of Kangaroo Island.
They have burnt through 7500 hectares of native vegetation, timber plantations and private property. A strong southerly wind is encouraging the fire to burn in a northerly direction towards Snug Cove.
The fire could burn towards the Flinders Chase National park if conditions remain unchanged.
The National Park will be closed at midnight tonight for safety reasons. Aerial bombers are being used to fight the conjoined fires but with visibility conditions declining, efforts may have to be reduced.
The Cudlee Creek fire has been burning for almost two weeks and has claimed at least 70 homes and one life. With AAP
Rachel Baxendale 4.40pm: Emergency warning for Sunbury
An emergency warning has been issued for Sunbury, on Melbourne’s northwestern outskirts, as a fire threatens suburban houses.
The warning, issued at 4:20pm on Wednesday advised residents to leave Enterprize Drive and Settlers Way immediately, with the fire likely to impact the streets “any time between 4:30pm and 5:30pm”.
“Enterprize Drive & Settlers Way could be impacted anytime within the next 30 minutes. Leaving now is the safest option, before conditions become too dangerous,” the warning stated.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 4.35pm: Thousands still without power, communications
Over 30,000 people remain without electricity on southeastern NSW, although power has been restored to the Ulladulla CBD.
As of 4pm, 32,000 people in and south of Batemans Bay were still without electricity or telecommunications services as Essential Energy remained unable to safely access power lines damaged by fire.
Essential Energy spokeswoman Sarah Johnston told The Australian that plans are being made to access the affected areas as soon as safely possible, but unpredictable weather conditions means that no firm timeframe can be given.
In the meantime, aerial patrols have been dispatched to identify the location of damaged lines.
Anyone affected should prepare to go without power for several days or find alternative accommodation until power can be restored.
Below is an update of progress in affected areas:
Batemans Bay and Moruya
25,899 customers
Extensive damage has been caused to the overhead and underground electricity network. Aerial patrols are underway and restoration will commence once it is safe to access the fire grounds.
Bemboka
287 customers
The RFS has granted access to Essential Energy to complete an impact assessment on the damaged network.
Cobargo and Bermagui
3042 customers
Essential Energy crews are currently patrolling sections of the damaged network, however crews are facing access challenges due to the fires from Cobargo to Bermagui.
Batlow, Jingellic and Tumbarumba
1,887 customers
Essential Energy crews have been granted access by the RFS and have patrolled the powerline and completed an impact assessment on the damaged network. Crews are preparing to make necessary repairs to the network. An estimated restoration time is currently unknown.
Oberne Creek
55 customers
Essential Energy crews are currently making repairs to eight damaged power poles. It is estimated that all 55 customers will be restored by 6:00pm tonight.
Adelong and Yaven Creek
36 customers
Significant damage was caused to the electricity network with an estimated 22 damaged power poles. Additional crews from the region have been deployed to assist in restoration efforts. While crews have made some repairs, there are sections of the network that remain unsafe to access. An estimated restoration time is currently unknown.
Jingellic
55 customers
The RFS has granted access to Essential Energy to complete an impact assessment on the damaged network. At this stage crews have identified over 10km of damaged power lines. An estimated restoration time is currently unknown.
Kieran Gair 3.49pm: Bushfire death toll rises to 7
NSW Police have confirmed the deaths of three more people in the South Coast bushfires, taking the toll to seven including volunteer firefighter Samuel McPaul who was killed on Monday night.
“Police have confirmed a further three deaths as a result of the fires on the South Coast,’’ NSW deputy commissioner Gary Worboys said.
“This goes on the back of the four deaths reported yesterday and of course fireman Sam.”
“There is no magic wand to wave across this and fix it in a short amount of time.”
Meanwhile, the NSW Rural Fire Service said at least 176 homes have been lost — 89 of those in the town of Cobargo, which has a population of around 700 people.
Mike Kelly, Federal MP for Eden-Monaro, described the situation as “utterly catastrophic” and said the number of homes lost could climb “above 200.”
“It’s the tragic loss of life that’s really cutting deep and we have to prepare for more bad news because it’s not over yet.”
“More homes will be lost and we need to brace for a tough summer that will stretch our firefighters who are already buggered.”
In Malua Bay, at least 40 homes were destroyed in yesterday’s inferno while the Mayor of Bega Valley Kristy McBain said “dozens of homes had been lost” in her region.
The dead include:
* A man’s body found in a burnt-out car on a firetrail a few kilometres off from the highway at Yatte Yattah, near Lake Conjola, on the NSW south coast;
* Another body was found in a burnt-out car in Sussex Inlet, NSW;
* Paramedics discovered a body in Coolagolite, near Cobargo;
* A man was found dead in a home on Myrtle Gully Rd, Yatte Yattah.
* Mick Roberts, 67, found dead in his home in Buchan, Victoria
* Patrick Salway, 29, and his father Robert, 63, died trying to save their home in Cobargo, NSW
* Firefighter Samuel Paul, 28, died after his truck flipped while he was battling a blaze near Albury on Monday.
Aneeka Simonis 3.21pm: ‘Town legend’ dead in Vic fire
Loved great-grandfather and “larrikin” Mick Roberts, 67, has been identified as the first victim of East Gippsland’s bushfire tragedy. Read the full story here.
Rachel Baxendale 3.19pm: Esso sends in ships
Gas company Esso has confirmed it is providing two offshore support vessels and two helicopters available to help people stranded by the East Gippsland bushfires, following a request from emergency services. Read the full story here
Meanwhile, the navy has sent two ships from Sydney to help out on the NSW South Coast and Victoria
HMAS Choules and MV Sycamore have sailed from Sydney, on their way to provide support to bushfire relief efforts on NSW South Coast and NE Victoria. Navy also continues to provide helicopters and support to @NSWRFS aerial operations.#AustralianNavy #AustraliaFires #OurCommunity pic.twitter.com/PHWp8L0Tvy
— Chief of Navy Australia (@CN_Australia) January 1, 2020
Rachel Baxendale 3.15pm: Paramedics deployed to Vic towns
Paramedics have been deployed to towns isolated by the Gippsland fires, including Mallacoota, Orbost and Buchan -- with a barge off Mallacoota providing 25 beds for ill residents.
Ambulance Victoria acting director of emergency management Justin Dunlop said paramedics and volunteer ambulance community officers were in Mallacoota helping their community during the fire.
“They’ve supported the community throughout the fire and continue to do so, despite some of them not knowing whether their houses have survived,” Mr Dunlop said.
“The paramedics and ACOs are assessing people who remain in Mallacoota to determine if anyone needs to be medically evacuated.
“Paramedics have also been placed on a 25-bed barge to be moored at Mallacoota that will provide respite for locals.”
Mr Dunlop said two wilderness response paramedics had been flown into Orbost on Tuesday night to assess medical needs, and three paramedics had travelled to Buchan on Wednesday to assess residents still in the town, which cannot be accessed by road due to the fires.
Rachel Baxendale 1.50pm: The plan for Mallacoota
Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp says said about 4000 people remained stranded in Mallacoota, in far East Gippsland, with 100 more at Genoa, to the north, and thousands in other isolated communities across the region facing ongoing threats from fires.
Towns cut off from road access include Cann River, Buchan, Club Terrace, Omeo, Swifts Creek and Ensay.
Commissioner Crisp said Emergency Management Victoria had moved some of its biggest helicopters to the area, and would use them for a shift changeover of firefighters in and out of Mallacoota on Wednesday afternoon.
“We know, for example, with Mallacoota, we know they have a significant amount of water, but we know we need to get supplies to them,” he said.
Commissioner Crisp said a police boat had come to Mallacoota from NSW on Tuesday, bringing a small amount of water, with a Victoria Police boat set to deliver another 1600 litres of water on Wednesday.
A large barge is currently being loaded in Melbourne, containing food and water and 30,000L of fuel: “It will have supplies for about two weeks.”
Commissioner Crisp said the naval vessels were being brought in because smoke would pose challenges for large scale air evacuations.
“As a result of that there’s been a commitment from the Australian Defence Force to move naval assets towards Mallacoota,” he said.
“Similarly they’re moving in some larger helicopters – two Black Hawks will arrive in East Sale this afternoon and a larger Taipan later today.
“Those two Black Hawks will be able to fly later today until 8:30 and then they rest. They give us additional capability. They’re able to fly at night, although not dropping water on fires at night.
“That will give us a great intelligence capability overnight.
“Along with that, there will be two of the large Chinooks, so the heavy-lift helicopters coming from Townsville and they will be here on Friday.”
Commissioner Crisp also praised the Red Cross and Victorian Council of Churches, as well as government departments for their work supporting fire-affected communities at relief centres.
Rachel Baxendale 1.40pm: High risk to return with high temperatures
Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp warned that warmer weather on Friday and Saturday posed a high fire risk, with a top temperature of 44C forecast on Saturday in Albury, west of the Corryong fire, and 39C forecast for Orbost and Bairnsdale in East Gippsland.
“We’re warming up into Friday and then what we term as spike days — Saturday is looking like a high risk day for us again,” Commissioner Crisp said.
“At this stage it looks like we have a fire danger rating of very high across the whole state.
“We might have some of the weather districts up to severe. Saturday is a significant day for us.
“It’s about what we do to enable us to be in the best position we can to Saturday.
Rachel Baxendale 1.30pm: 500,000 hectares gone in Victoria
Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp says 500,000 hectares had already been burnt in Victoria, predominantly in East Gippsland, with another three months of hot weather to come.
He reconfirmed the loss of 10 to 15 structures in the fire near Corryong, in Victoria’s northeast, as well as 19 structures in Sarsfield and 24 in Buchan and Buchan south in East Gippsland, but said he was unable to confirm the numbers lost in other communities.
Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester said he believed from conversations with locals that “dozens” of homes had been destroyed in Mallacoota alone.
Commissioner Crisp praised the work of firefighters “to basically save the town of Corryong, and some additionally great work to open up that road quickly, that enabled a convoy of 68 vehicles to get people out of Corryong.”
Rachel Baxendale 12.48pm: Firefighters’ ‘shift change by air’
Helicopters will today evacuate 90 firefighters from the Mallacoota area and send fresh teams in, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed.
Visiting Bairnsdale, on the western fringe of fire-ravaged East Gippsland, Mr Andrews said Victorians were facing a “unique set of circumstances”.
“We’ve got people that are isolated in the middle of the fire. We’ve got people who have left and can’t get back in. We’ve got fires that are not out,” Mr Andrews said.
He said rising temperatures towards the end of the week with temperatures rising between now and the weekend to 41C in Corryong, in the far north east, and 39C in Bairnsdale on Saturday.
“That makes this a long and dangerous and complex fight, a long and dangerous process to support everyone who’s been impacted by it,” Mr Andrews said.
“I want to thank the community and thank everybody who’s been touched by these fires for the patience they’ve shown, for the way they look out for each other, for the fact they understand this is not like other bushfires where we had fire moves through a devastated community, the fire is out, and then you begin the next process of recovery and rebuilding.
“This is very different to that. This will be an active fire and a very challenging and complex environment for weeks and therefore we have to do things differently.
“For instance, today I don’t know that we’ve ever done this before, using Victorian assets, we’ve got choppers taking 90 firefighters out of the Mallacoota area.
There is currently no road access to Mallacoota, with fire damage blocking all routes out.
“They can’t be removed any other way — we’re essentially doing a shift change by the air,” Mr Andrews said.
“We’ve never done that before, getting firefighters that are essentially isolated in that Mallacoota community out and fresh teams going in.
“That’s not something we’ve done before it’s one example of how complex and how challenging these East Gippsland fires are now and will be for a considerable period of time.”
Gerard Cockburn 12.25pm: Flinders Island fire
An out of control bushfire is currently burning on Flinders Island in the Bass Strait.
All volunteer fire crews are responding to the blaze located on the north east of the island.
A spokesperson from the Tasmania Fire Service said approximately 2,200 hectares has burnt out.
The fire currently poses no threat to the island’s largest town, Whitemark.
Favourable westerly winds are pushing the fire to the coast with the nine crews including one plane attempting to back burn.
The small Tasmanian island part of the Furneaux archipelago has a population of almost 1000.
Angelica Snowden 11.55am: Details emerge of third man killed on South Coast
The third victim of Tuesday’s South Coast blazes was found in a burnt-out car, police say.
The man’s body was found in the car on a firetail a few kilometres off the Princes Highway at Yatte Yattah near Lake Conjola on the South Coast, police said.
The man has not been formally identified.
Meanwhile, a 72-year-old man remains unaccounted for at Belowra, about 50km north west of Cobargo. Paramedics are urgently trying to get into isolated communities where people have suffered burns after a horror 24 hours of raging infernos in NSW.
Rachel Baxendale 11.15am: Sick Mallacoota stranded to be rescued by barge
Police say they are sending four paramedics into the bushfire-ravaged East Gippsland town of Mallacoota by boat, to rescue unwell or vulnerable people with a 25-bed barge which is currently off the coast of the town.
Another barge and an ADF Black Hawk helicopter are later set to drop off food, fuel, water and other supplies.
Large supply ship seen off the shore in #Mallacoota far bigger than anything else we get this close. Not Navy. Private ship know to supply ships in the oil & gas industry. pic.twitter.com/LIndVp50kT
— Brendan (@brendanh_au) December 31, 2019
Matthew Denholm 11.10am: Tasmanian fire deliberately lit
A fire that has menaced communities and damaged property in Tasmania’s northeast was deliberately lit, Tasmania Police has confirmed, as it calls for public information about the arson.
“Police have reason to believe the main fire, as well as other fires in the area, have been deliberately lit,” said police northern commander Brett Smith.
“Bushfires are devastating, destructive, and in this case has displaced people from their homes. Someone must know something about who is responsible for this fire.
“Investigators are urging anyone in the community with information about who is responsible for these fires, or who saw anyone acting suspiciously around the time the fire started, to come forward.”
The bushfire was one of several that started in the state on a day of extreme fire danger on Monday.
Matthew Denholm 10.30am: Tasmania: Frantic work before weather worsens again
Tasmanian firefighters are trying to build containment lines around two major bushfires menacing parts of the state’s northeast and south, ahead of worsening fire conditions on the weekend.
Earlier emergency warnings have been downgraded to “watch and act” but the Tasmanian Fire Service warned large blazes at Pelham, in the Upper Derwent Valley, and at Fingal, in the northeast, could flare any time.
The Pelham fire – potentially threatening areas around Pelham, Elderslie and Broadmarsh – has grown to about 1800 hectares, with an approximate 26km boundary, since being first reported on Monday.
At least one house and a number of other buildings have been destroyed and the TFS has advised further damage may yet to be discovered.
“Impact assessments on potential property losses are still being undertaken,” the TFS said on Wednesday morning.
“Firefighters are working to control the (Pelham) fire and construct containment lines. The fire is still very active and remains uncontrolled.
“Elderslie, Broadmarsh and surrounding areas may still be threatened with ember attack and residents are asked to be mindful of changing wind conditions.”
Areas near Mangana, Mathinna, Fingal and Tower Hill, in the north-east, were also potentially under threat form a 4,000 ha blaze that also started on Monday.
The TFS said there would be backburning in this area if conditions allowed in an effort to stem the fire front, resulting in an increase in smoke.
Debbie Schipp 10am: South Coast road closures continue
The Princes Highway remains closed on the NSW South Coast, with appeals to anyone in the area to stay put.
The RFS says a number of major roads, including the Princes Highway in several areas, are likely to remain closed for some time due to hazards,
Motorists are asked to avoid all non-essential travel to the South Coast and Snowy Mountains/Riverina areas and check current closures at livetraffic.com
Continue to avoid non-essential travel to the South Coast and Snowy Mountains Riverina areas. There is no forecast for when the roads can reopen as that can't happen until it's safe to do so. Check current closures at https://t.co/x0CH6qqxYx https://t.co/V1mxygbWwv
— Live Traffic NSW (@LiveTrafficNSW) December 31, 2019
Angelica Snowden 9.43am: South Coast communications ‘severely compromised’
NSW Fire and Rescue Commissioner Paul Baxter said fire communication centres received a record 4000 emergency calls yesterday.
Mr Baxter urged people who are impacted by bushfires to make sure they know where they are and can articulate what type of assistance they need before calling triple-0.
Mr Baxter said communications from Nowra to Bermagui are “compromised severely”.
He also said that back-up generators are starting to fail as well, and that it was important not to overload the system.
NSW Police on Monday evening confirmed all power had been lost from South Nowra to Moruya and “potentially beyond”, affecting at least 46,000 people and the supported telecommunications network.
BATEMANS BAY TO MORUYA: Princes Hwy is closed btwn Cranbrook Rd and North Head Dr due to fires. Avoid the area. If you're in a town, stay in your location as the Princes Hwy is closed in a number of locations.
— Live Traffic NSW (@LiveTrafficNSW) December 31, 2019
Stephen Lunn 9am: Relief supplies for Mallacoota stranded
People stranded along the foreshore in Mallacoota in Victoria’s far east are being provided with deliveries of fresh water after a harrowing 24 hours, Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said.
“The good news is that I’m not aware of lives lost there. (I) thank the community that was listening to the instructions, for the great community engagement. they knew when to go down to the beach and the jetty,” he told ABC television.
“A police boat will be taking in 1.5 tonnes of water and we are looking at flying in other supplies,” Mr Crisp said.
Hundreds of people slept in their cars overnight. One woman says she slept in a deck chair - stranded on the foreshore at Mallacoota @9NewsAUS @9NewsMelb pic.twitter.com/bdGccWg1fg
— Jayde Vincent (@JaydeVincent) December 31, 2019
Stephen Lunn 8.50am: Vic: new blazes, fire merge fears
Victorian firefighters are working hard to contain new blazes around the popular Mt Buller region to ensure another significant flank of fire doesn’t open up, Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp says.
“A lot of people holiday up in those areas. We’ll be prioritising those fires and hitting them as hard as we can. We don’t need any new fires in the landscape,” Mr Crisp told ABC television.
He said if they aren’t contained now, those fires could be fuelled by upcoming hot weather and join up with existing fires in the East Gippsland area.
Debbie Schipp 8.30am: NSW RFS confirm three dead
RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has confirmed that three people have died as a result of the fires on the South Coast and one person is still missing.
“[There is] limited access to the remote area to try to identify and confirm one way or the other the status of that person,” he told a media briefing.
“We also have a very real challenge with a couple of isolated communities where we have reports of injuries and burn injuries to members of the public.”
He said conditions will deteriorate again on Saturday, and there has been “heavy damage” on the South Coast to homes, schools and businesses, especially in the south Nowra area.
Angelica Snowden 8.25am: ‘Yesterday was a horrible day’
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has thanked the thousands of volunteers ad emergency service personal who were on the firegrounds yesterday.
“Yesterday was a very horrible day for New South Wales in terms of the fire conditions,” she said.
“Today our key message is to there’s a lot of emphasis put into firstly backburning, to contain the fires near communities as much as possible, taking advantage of the milder conditions.”
The Premier said that “wonderful attitude” was reassuring and would allow emergency service workers to do their jobs without extra stress.
“I appreciate how frustrating it can be when you don’t have the basics,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Ms Berejiklian confirmed that the priority of emergency services will be to clear roads and open up access to communities that are stranded with no way in or out.
Ms Berejiklian said that communities in the state’s south east and firefighters are bracing for weather conditions on Saturday that will be as bad as New Year’s Eve.
Incredible satelite image of smoke from the bush fires which has well and truley passed New Zealand's South Island, testimate to the amount of vegitation that has burnt over the last 36 hours. Smoke from the pyro-convective thunderstorms has even reached the troposhphere. #nswrfs pic.twitter.com/DLQXSmT7Nd
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) December 31, 2019
8.20am: Victoria: Thousands stranded, seven emergency alerts
Thousands remain stranded and destructive bushfires have burnt through more than half a million hectares in Victoria’s East Gippsland and more blazes have started.
Seven emergency alerts remain in place in Victoria’s east, four people are still missing and thunderstorms continued to create dry lightning, sparking new fires overnight.
“The fire threat in our state has increased overnight. There were some more thunderstorms come through with dry lightning and we have a number of new fires in Mount Hotham, King Valley and we have 45 going fires in the east of the state,” Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp told ABC News on Wednesday.
Aircraft including Black Hawk helicopters are expected to land in the east of the state on Wednesday with other aircraft and naval vessels due in the coming days.
Parts of the Princes Highway will be opened on Wednesday to allow people to escape.
Debbie Schipp 7.30am: RFS truck overrun by fire
Terrifying video shows a fire front passing over a Fire and Rescue NSW crew’s truck as fires raged in NSW on Tuesday.
The crew from Wyoming had been cutting a path along a dark, smoky road south of Nowra on Tuesday before the fire front closed in on their left flank and passed over them.
Two trucks nearby were destroyed in South Nowra in a similar incident but the firefighters inside were unharmed.
EARLIER:
VICTORIA
Seven emergency warnings remain in place in East Gippsland in Victoria, and thousands remain stranded.
Scenes of devastation await residents in Victoria’s east as bushfires continue threatening lives and homes.
Milder weather is expected across East Gippsland in coming days but authorities sat people cannot afford to relax just yet.
Defence force and navy reinforcements are on their way to East Gippsland to help battle Victoria’s biggest inferno since Black Saturday, as four people remain missing.
NSW
As fire authorities predicted the loss of multiple homes, a telecommunications outage left families on New Year’s Eve unable to contact loved ones on the fire-ravaged NSW South Coast.
At 3am on 1 January 2020, there are 112 fires burning across NSW. Several large & dangerous fires continue burning on the South Coast where 2 fires remain at emergency warning. A further 6 fires are at Watch and Act. Over 2500 firefighters continue working on these fires. #nswrfs pic.twitter.com/5wgY6UnjOD
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) December 31, 2019
On Tuesday evening, NSW Police earlier confirmed all power had been lost from South Nowra to Moruya and “potentially beyond”, affecting at least 46,000 people and the supported telecoms network.
Fire conditions are expected to ease on Wednesday after a cool change, bringing gusts of up to 80km/h and dry lightning strikes, crossed the state.
Before 7am no fires were at emergency warning level, but eight — including the 230,000-hectare Currowan blaze on the South Coast and the 64,000ha Clyde Mountain fire ringing Batemans Bay — were at watch and act level. Waterbombing aircraft helped efforts to stop a 250ha blaze reaching residential homes at Blue Haven on the Central Coast.
Total fire bans are in place for Southern Slopes, Southern Ranges and Central Ranges on Wednesday, ahead of predicted worsening conditions over the weekend.
Multiple property losses are likely but it will take several days to assess all the losses, the RFS says.
Major roads, including several parts of the Princes Highway linking South Coast communities, are likely to remain closed for some time due to hazards.
Communities are also mourning three lives lost since Monday. Firefighter Sam McPaul, and young father Patrick Salway and his dad, Robert Salway, died in two incidents in the state’s south.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian is expected to visit South Coast communities on Wednesday after receiving a briefing at RFS headquarters.
— with AAP
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Crisafulli dodges ‘please explain’ on nuclear
LNP leader David Crisafulli has been unable — or unwilling — to say why he opposes federal Opposition leader Peter Dutton’s nuclear power policy as Queensland’s pre-polling booths open.
‘Only Fans’: Lehrmann’s lawyer details his grim job prospects
The ruling that found Bruce Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins left him as ‘Australia’s most hated man’ and was so devastating he will be unable to find a job locally or overseas, the Federal Court has heard.