Bushfire emergency: No longer safe to leave NSW fire zones, Premier Gladys Berejiklian says
Two killed on SA’s Kangaroo Island are named as emergency-level fires burn in NSW and Victoria.
- Long night: not safe to leave
- NSW, Victoria emergency
- Army reservists called out
- Victoria’s fire danger rages
- Elliott returns, won’t step down
- ‘Success if no lives lost’
Six people are still missing, outback pilot Dick Lang and his surgeon son Clayton Lang are dead, 3000 military reservists will be called upon in a national first and thousands of people were without electricity after more huge fires ravaged southern and eastern Australia on Saturday.
During Saturday there were reported to be 26 emergency-level fires in NSW and Victoria, several of which burned close to both states’ border including the 130,000ha Corryong blaze.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the government was ramping up its response to the bushfire crisis. Government support included deploying one of the Australian navy’s big assault ships, HMAS Adelaide, which left its Sydney port in the afternoon. He also said it would call upon 3000 military reserve members for continuous, full-time duty.
NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliot returned after an “inexcusable trip” fronting reporters at the NSW Rural Fire Service headquarters in Sydney.
Record high temperatures were reported in five cities including Canberra at 43.6C, Griffith at 47.2C, Narrandera at 47.4C, Penrith at 48.5C and Wagga at 46.1C.
In NSW, about 3600 firefighters were on the ground battling blazes while hundreds of others were pre-positioned to tackle outbreaks. Afternoon winds were recorded up to 128km/h as a southerly change passed northwards through the state from late afternoon.
NSW Police also issued a warning for residents to remain vigilant amid reports of break-ins in bushfire-affected areas.
In Victoria, authorities were able to locate 15 of the 21 people reported missing, confirming efforts to locate the remaining six were under way. More than 900,000ha had been burned, 1000 fireys were on the ground, and 50 firefighters from the US arrived on Saturday to join efforts in Omeo by Sunday.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed more properties and assets were lost, warning residents “lives can be lost if people don’t follow the instructions they’re given”.
In Tasmania, a 35-year-old man was charged with deliberately lighting a bushfire in the state’s northeast where a string of blazes destroyed a home.
Fire were forecast to rage throughout the night and well into the morning. Some fires have been described as campaign fires, which can only be put out by significant rain or burning themselves out.
Now read how Saturday unfolded, into early Sunday:
3.14am Sunday: Vic fires still rage amid more evacuations
More evacuation orders have been issued to Victorians overnight as massive blazes continue to ravage the state’s east.
People in Dandongadale, Freeburgh, Wandiligong and surrounding areas in northeast Victoria were advised to leave overnight as a southwest wind change fanned bushfire flames.
Dozens of fires were burning in Victoria, 13 of which were subject to emergency warnings, the highest alert level, during Saturday.
Six people remain missing in East Gippsland blazes, on top of two confirmed dead.
More than 900,000ha of land has been overrun by flames, with about 110 properties and 220 outbuildings razed so far.
Temperatures soared to the early and mid-40s in parts of East Gippsland and northeast Victoria on Saturday, with total fire bans in place for a swag of weather districts.
More than 70 new fires were sparked in the 24 hours to 6pm on Saturday. Cooler conditions, lighter winds and a lack of lightning on Sunday are expected to bring some relief to firefighters.
The mercury is forecast to peak in the early 20s in East Gippsland, with rainfall of about 20ml expected later in the day.
In the northeast, temperatures could hit the late 20s in some parts, with some rainfall — albeit it likely less than 5ml - expected.
“That will help subdue the fire activity,” Bureau of meteorology senior meteorologist Dean Stewart told AAP.
The towns of Omeo and Swifts Creek in East Gippsland as well as Corryong near the NSW border are among those to have been under threat.
About 50 people were evacuated from Omeo by Chinook helicopters on Saturday but about 300 chose to stay in the township, state Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville confirmed.
The evacuees were flown to Bairnsdale on the western side of the fires, before being transported to Sale.
In Gippsland, firefighters have been 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. After the sky turned red, then black at Mallacoota on Tuesday, people from the town are reporting the same thing has happened on Saturday.
Naval crews planned to re-stock and return to the township to evacuate more people.
About 500 people are at a relief centre in Bairnsdale and there is an overflow centre at the local racecourse.
A state of emergency remains in place for Victoria throughout the coming week.
AAP
11.20pm Saturday: Property losses rise in NSW
Authorities fear there has been “significant damage and destruction” in NSW with dozens of buildings potentially lost as a number of bushfires continue to create emergency conditions across southern parts of the state.
NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons on Saturday night said the RFS was starting to hear of more properties alight as firefighters continued to battle extreme bushfires.
He believed more property losses could run into the dozens.
“Right across these fire grounds we are increasingly getting reports of significant damage and destruction,” he told ABC TV.
“Some areas alone are reporting at least 15 properties alight in some locations.”
RFS Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers late on Saturday night said properties were believed to be lost in the Batlow area and North Nowra, and there were also reports of properties impacted at Bundanoon in the southern highlands.
He told ABC TV there were a lot of problems in the Snowy Mountains region, while a fire that had come across the Victorian border was threatening the southern town of Eden.
Firefighters are focused on saving what they can as a southerly change sweeps up the coast from the Victoria border and fire-generated thunderstorms worsen the situation.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian earlier on Saturday evening warned people facing extreme bushfires “it’s not safe to move, it’s not safe to leave these areas”. The situation was “very volatile” with southerly winds gusting up to 80km/h as the change moved up the coast.
“Conditions are deteriorating rapidly,” the Bureau of Meteorology tweeted. “The gusty forecast southerly is pushing north and will continue along the coast tonight. Smoke plumes are triggering storms.”
A wind gust of 128km/h was recorded at Cabramurra in the western Snowy Mountains. The BOM also reported an almost incredible top temperature of 69.8C in the area at 4.30pm.
“The situation appears to be that an intense pyro-cumulonimbus cloud formed above an intense fire to the east of Cabramurra during the afternoon,” the bureau said in a statement explaining the temperature spike.
NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean said power could be turned off to parts of the state after bushfires destroyed transmission lines in the Snowies. “There may be a need to turn off power in parts of the network to keep the overall system secure,” the minister said in a statement.
About 143 fires were burning across NSW on Saturday night. Twelve were cited at emergency warning level in southern NSW during Saturday while 10 were at “watch and act”. About 3600 firefighters were on the ground battling blazes while hundreds of others were pre-positioned to tackle any new outbreaks.
Mr Fitzsimmons confirmed some large fires were generating their own thunderstorms which could generate cyclonic-type winds.
In some areas, firefighters had been withdrawn for their safety.
“Under these conditions suppression is unachievable,” the RFS commissioner said. “The focus becomes saving lives and saving property as much as we can.”
Emergency warnings were in place for fires in the Snowy Monaro and Snowy Valley regions as well as on the south coast and at the 271,683ha Green Wattle Creek blaze southwest of Sydney.
The mercury eventually climbed to 48.9C in Penrith – a new record for the Sydney basin and beating the previous mark of 47.8C recorded in Richmond in 1939. Hospitals in Batlow, Pambula and Tumut were evacuated as were healthcare facilities in Tumbarumba and Delegate.
A statewide total fire ban is in place on Sunday while a week-long state of emergency – the third in as many months – continues.
Eight people, including a firefighter, have died in NSW in the past week. Another man, seriously burnt in a bushfire in November, died in hospital last Sunday.
9.20pm: Six missing, a million Vic hectares burnt
Blazes still threaten communities in Victoria’s bushfire-ravaged east where six people remain missing and almost a million hectares have been destroyed. About 110 properties and 220 outbuildings have been razed and authorities warn the numbers will likely grow.
“A number of people across East Gippsland that were previously missing … have been found and I can’t tell you how pleased we all are to be able to report that we’ve gone from 28 to 21, and it is now down to six people,” Premier Daniel Andrews said on Saturday night.
“We do have fears for their safety,” he said.
Among those who have reached safety are about 1200 people ferried from decimated coastal Mallacoota by the landing ship HMAS Choules.
The navy vessel reached Hastings, less than an hour’s drive from Melbourne, late on Saturday.
“We were running out of food, for starters,” a very relieved Jackie Stefanopoulos, 19, said after stepping ashore and to safety, admitting she had been petrified by the bushfires.
“There was no power in the household I was in, or I was seeking refuge in.”
The threat remained across parts of Victoria where more than 900,000ha of land has been overrun by fire with 13 emergency warnings on Saturday.
The towns of Omeo and Swifts Creek in East Gippsland as well as Corryong near the NSW border were facing a challenging night.
About 50 people were evacuated from Omeo by Chinook helicopters but about 300 chose to stay in the township, Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville confirmed.
The evacuees were flown to Bairnsdale on the western side of the fires, before being transported to Sale.
Conditions were expected to ease by midnight but with more than 53 fires burning people were urged to heed warnings and not be complacent.
“Lives can be lost if people don’t follow the instructions they’re given,” Mr Andrews said.
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.
After the sky turned red, then black at Mallacoota on Tuesday, people from the town are reporting the same thing has happened on Saturday.
Naval vessels plan to restock and return to the township to evacuate more people.
About 500 people are at a relief centre in Bairnsdale and there is an overflow centre at the local racecourse.
A state of emergency remains in place for Victoria throughout the coming week.
AAP
9.10pm: Southern NSW turns orange as fires rage
Residents on the NSW south coast waited anxiously as burning leaves fell from an orange sky while bushfires raged at emergency level. Hundreds of people fled to an evacuation centre at the Narooma Leisure Centre as conditions worsened on Saturday afternoon.
The Narooma sky turned orange, and then dark in the late afternoon, but residents Sally and Rick Illes said conditions weren’t as bad as on New Year’s Eve.
“We lost power in the morning then and the sky was completely black,” Ms Illes told AAP.
“But we weren’t expecting it on New Year’s Eve – today we have been warned.”
The 200,000ha Badja Forest Road blaze is burning to the west of the town and the Illes decided not to risk trying to save their property there – instead seeking refuge on the water’s edge near the evacuation centre.
The couple hadn’t experienced bushfire before but saw the aftermath of Victoria’s Black Saturday fires in 2009, where a property owned by Ms Illes’ sister was badly affected.
The couple is surprised their seaside town would come under threat.
“We thought ‘we’re near the beach so we’re pretty safe’,” Ms Illes said.
Housemates Emerald Adams, Katarzyna Krilov, Lachlan Reilly also sought refuge near the water in Narooma.
The trio live about 10 kilometres south in Central Tilba but made the decision to leave after the “apocalyptic” New Year’s Eve bushfires.
They’d gone back and forth to their house to collect belongings since Wednesday but made the decision to take everything they could with them on Friday – including their goat Hansel – ahead of the forecast dangerous conditions. “It was a very tearful situation,” Ms Adams said.
“Tilba is all just timber and we live in a little gully and it’s (normally) so green.
“It’s so strange to see it dry so it with the drought. We never expected this – it’s a green Eurobodalla haven.”
The Badja Road blaze in Countegany remained uncontrolled at “watch and act” alert level on Saturday at 8pm.
Emergency fires were reported near Bega, across the alpine region towards Wagga Wagga and up to Sydney’s southwestern outskirts on Saturday.
A southerly change hit Narooma on Saturday about 6pm with wind gusts up to 80km/h.
“Over the coming hours the change will push the fires burning on the south coast in a northerly direction,” the RFS tweeted.
“Monitor the changing conditions and be prepared for the threat of fire,” the RFS warned people in the area.
Rural Fire Service spokesman Matt Sun urged people to not become complacent. “There is still a concern across all coastal towns,” he said.
The wind change saw day turn to night in some south coast areas. Bodalla – about 20km north of Narooma – was also dark by 6.30pm with just a red tinge to the sky.
Mr Sun said there was no confirmed property losses but he wouldn’t be surprised if homes had been destroyed along the coast.
About 30,000 customers in the Batemans Bay and Moruya regions lost power due to bushfire affecting infrastructure, Essential Energy said on Saturday afternoon.
Power was progressively restored to more than 20,000 customers by 8pm, the company subsequently said in a statement.
“Some 9500 customers remain without power … and further outages may occur as the fires continue through the southeast area.”
AAP
7.40pm: Kangaroo Island victims named as father and son
Well-known outback pilot Dick Lang and his son, Adelaide surgeon Clayton Lang, have died in the Kangaroo Island bushfire in South Australia after their car was trapped by flames.
The body of 78-year-old Mr Lang was believed to have been found in their vehicle on Playford Highway at Gosse while his 43-year-old son was found some distance away.
The pair had been out fighting the blaze and were returning to a family property when they became trapped.
“We are devastated to have lost two beloved members of our family, Dick Lang and his youngest son Clayton Lang, in such terrible circumstances,” the family said in a statement.
SA Premier Steven Marshall said the deaths were tragic news.
“Our hearts go out to the families of those people who have been affected,” he said.
“This a very dangerous situation on Kangaroo Island.”
The family of Dick and Clayton Lang say they were prominent members of the South Australian community who rose to the top in their chosen professions.
Known as “Desert Dick”, Mr Lang was a pioneering bush pilot and safari operator who opened up the outback to travellers from Australia and overseas.
He first offered 4WD adventures in 1965, later adding aircraft trips to all corners of Australia and other countries, from Papua New Guinea to Africa. “He loved the bush, he loved adventure and he loved Kangaroo Island,” the family’s statement said.
They said Clayton, one of Mr Lang’s four sons, was one of Adelaide’s leading plastic and reconstructive surgeons, specialising in hand surgery. He was supervisor of surgical training and clinical lead of hand surgery at Adelaide’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
“Dick was married to his beloved wife Helen for more than 55 years, having met her in 1959,” the family said.
“Helen and the family are heartbroken and reeling from this double tragedy and are touched by people’s thoughts at this difficult time.”
The Langs also thanked Country Fire Service volunteers, police and members of the Kangaroo Island community who were helping all those affected by the catastrophic fires.
Significant property losses are expected from the fire with many homes and other buildings believed lost along with tourism and other infrastructure.
About 500 firefighters will continue to battle the uncontrolled blaze over the weekend, with crews and other resources brought in from the SA mainland.
The fire had been burning since late in December but escalated dramatically on Friday when it jumped containment lines during hot and windy conditions.
At one stage the entire island was subject to either an emergency warning or a watch and act advice with only the towns of Kingscote and Penneshaw on the east coast considered safe places.
By Saturday morning the situation had eased with cooler conditions providing an opportunity for fire crews to work on establishing fresh defences.
However, CFS chief officer Mark Jones said it was expected the fire, which had blackened more than 155,000ha, would continue to burn for several days.
Mr Marshall said the government had already appointed a community recovery officer and would look at what additional support islanders would need in the coming days.
“It’s clear that South Australia has had an extraordinarily difficult time with extensive damage right across our state,” he said.
“Our focus at the moment is doing everything that we possibly can to contain the fire on Kangaroo Island.
“But very quickly our focus will move onto recovery.”
Mr Marshall said he had also spoken to Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Saturday with the PM offering “all the support that is required”.
At one stage on Friday, the blaze threatened the towns of Parndana and Vivonne Bay, which were evacuated, but both were spared any major damage. As it continued to burn on Saturday, the eastern edge of the blaze extended from the south coast of the island near Vivonne Bay to the north coast near Stokes Bay.
Among the properties lost is the luxury Southern Ocean Lodge on the island’s west coast with parts of the facility reduced to rubble.
Guests had been moved to Kingscote or Adelaide but six staff stayed to monitor the situation and activate the facility’s emergency plan but all had since been accounted for and were not injured.
The operators of the Sealink ferry service said up to 300 people who gathered at a relief centre in Kingscote seeking passage to the mainland would be transported over the next two days.
The operators of the Kangaroo Island Connect ferry had also offered their services to move people off the island.
The CFS said the blaze remained uncontrolled and still posed a threat to people and property with conditions on the fire ground continually changing.
AAP
7.30pm: Warning to limit power usage
NSW residents have been urged to limit their electricity usage after bushfires damaged critical infrastructure particularly in the Snowy Mountains.
State Energy Minister Matt Kean has asked everyone to be mindful of unnecessary usage after transmission lines failed in the Snowy region on Saturday: people should turn off pool pumps, set air conditioners to 24C or 25C and avoid using washing machines and dishwashers.
“The extensive bushfire activity in the Snowy Mountains and other areas of the state have had an impact on our electricity supplies,” Mr Kean said in a statement.
“The Australian Energy Market Operator, TransGrid and the NSW and ACT governments are working closely to keep power supplies on.
“But … there may be a need to turn off power in parts of the network to keep the overall system secure.”
TransGrid chief executive Paul Italiano said assets in the Kosciuszko National Park had been damaged interrupting the supply between Victoria and NSW.
“We’ve had to separate the two states and it’s no longer operating as a single national electricity market,” he told ABC TV on Saturday night.
“That’s compromised the availability of energy to NSW.” Mr Italiano said whether there would need to be load shedding – or rolling blackouts – depended on any further losses.
“It [the system] is coping at the moment and we can handle one or two small things happening, but another major loss of a critical asset and we could be in trouble,” he said.
NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says the damage was to high voltage lines, connecter lines and switching hubs near Tumut.
“We are working with the power companies right now to determine the impact and what needs re-energising,” the commissioner said.
The challenge, he added, was ensuring the safety of firefighters working in the area particularly where there was intense fire activity under the main feeder lines.
AAP
AAP 7.20pm: Worst is yet to come as NSW bushfires rage
Authorities have urged NSW residents not to be complacent because the worst is yet to come as more than a dozen bushfires burned at emergency warning level across southern parts of the state during Saturday.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Saturday evening warned people facing extreme bushfires: “We are now in a position where we are saying to people it’s not safe to move, it’s not safe to leave these areas.” “We are in for a long night and I make no bones about that,” she told reporters at the NSW Rural Fire Service headquarters in Sydney.
“We are still yet to hit the worst of it.’’
The situation is “very volatile” with southerly winds expected to reach up to 80km/h as a change sweeps up the coast from the Victorian border. It’s not expected to reach Sydney until close to midnight.
NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean says power could be turned off to parts of the state after bushfires destroyed transmission lines in the Snowy region. “As we approach the evening peak there may be a need to turn off power in parts of the network to keep the overall system secure,” the minister said in a statement.
About 150 fires are burning across NSW with half uncontained. Thirteen were at emergency warning level in southern NSW at 7pm while nine were at “watch and act”.
RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says the worst of the weather is yet to eventuate.
“It’s a very dangerous few hours given the amount of emergency alerts that are out there,” he told reporters about 5pm.
About 3600 firefighters are on the ground battling blazes while hundreds of others have been pre-positioned to tackle any new outbreaks. Mr Fitzsimmons said some large fires were generating their own thunderstorms which could generate cyclonic-type winds.
In some areas, firefighters had been withdrawn for their own safety. “Under these conditions suppression is unachievable,” the RFS commissioner said. “The focus becomes saving lives and saving property as much as we can.” Mr Fitzsimmons said he’d be surprised if homes weren’t destroyed before the night was over.
Emergency warnings are in place for fires in the Snowy Monaro and Snowy Valley regions as well as on the south coast and at the 268,000-hectare Green Wattle Creek blaze southwest of Sydney.
A dangerous fire-generated thunderstorm has formed over the Currowan fire between Nowra and Batemans Bay which could spark new blazes. Canberra and the western Sydney suburb of Penrith on Saturday broke temperature records that had stood for 80 years.
The mercury climbed to 43.6C in Canberra and 48.9C in Penrith – a new record for the Sydney basin beating the previous mark of 47.8C recorded in Richmond in 1939.
The previous Canberra record was 42.8C at the now-closed Acton observation site in 1939.
Hospitals in Batlow, Pambula and Tumut were evacuated as were healthcare facilities in Tumbarumba and Delegate.
Regional Express airline suspended all south coast services on Saturday morning due to the extreme bushfire conditions.
Liberal Bega MP Andrew Constance – who planned to defend his home on Saturday – said the region could be “smashed”.
A statewide total fire ban is in place on Saturday as is a week-long state of emergency – the third in as many months.
A statewide fire ban has also been issued for Sunday “due to forecast warm and windy conditions”.
Eight people, including a firefighter, have died in NSW since Monday. Another man, seriously burnt in a bushfire in November, died in hospital on Sunday.
Joseph Lam 5.50pm: HMAS Adelaide departs Garden Island
HMAS Adelaide has departed its Garden Island Naval Precinct, AAP reports.
Army and navy personnel were seen loading plant machinery among other supplies earlier this afternoon before the amphibious assault ship was photographed leaving its port.
Prime Minister Scott Morrisson announced HMAS Adelaide would join the ADF’s boosted bushfire support earlier on Saturday as well as the calling for 3000 Army reservists to support the fire efforts.
It is believed 400 crew and medical staff will be aboard HMAS Adelaide which will carry 300 tonnes of emergency relief supplies.
With 400 personnel embarked and 400 tonnes of emergency relief supplies on board, HMAS Adelaide III departed Sydney today to help people in fire-affected Australian communities as part of #OpBushfireAssist. #AustralianNavy #OurCommunity #bushfires #YourADF pic.twitter.com/UQ27VZ1p1J
— Royal Australian Navy (@Australian_Navy) January 4, 2020
5.35pm: Man charged over deliberate Tas bushfire
A man has been charged over a deliberately lit bushfire in northeast Tasmania, where a string of blazes have destroyed a home and burned more than 11,000 hectares.
The 35-year-old is accused of deliberately setting vegetation alight at Mangana on Monday when a total fire ban was in place.
He was due to face an after-hours session of the Launceston Magistrates Court on Saturday night.
Several “watch and act” alerts remain in place for the cluster of fires around Mangana, near the township of Fingal.
Conditions were milder than expected across the state on Saturday, but authorities are keeping close tabs on fires into the evening amid strong winds. Bushfire smoke from raging blazes in Victoria blanketed Tasmania on Saturday morning, forcing authorities to issue a public health alert. The air quality was at its worst in the island state’s northern and central regions, and the smoke turned skies hazy over Hobart.
A cooler change brought relief in the afternoon and pushed bushfire smoke away from the island.
AAP
Joseph Lam 5.15pm: ‘Single source of truth’ amid marathon fires
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged citizens to adhere to RFS advice which she describes as the “single source of truth”.
NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has warned “the worst of the weather will eventuate throughout the afternoon”.
The great southerly is forecast to hit the southeast corner of NSW around 5pm before slowly moving along the coast to reach greater Sydney by midnight. The Commissioner has warned of “a very dangerous few hours ahead” as the great southerly will bring volatile winds of up to 80km/h along the coast.
Defensive strategies are in play to monitor and defend vital infrastructure including paper mills, hydro electricity stations and communications towers “that commands our attention” the Commissioner said.
The southerly change has moved though Narooma, with gusts of up to 80km/hr. Over the coming hours the change will push the fires burning on the South Coast in a northerly direction. Monitor the changing conditions and be prepared for the threat of fire. #nswrfs #nswfires pic.twitter.com/z7eEMPAcXV
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) January 4, 2020
Commissioner Fitzsimmons confirmed there are 3600 personnel attending to fires across the state, with hundreds more working in preparation of other blazes.
Earlier today it was also announced that over 50 firefighters from the US would land on Saturday before joining the fight against blazes in Omeo, Victoria on Sunday.
Adrian McMurray 4.37pm: Long night ahead: no longer safe to leave
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the state faces a “long night” ahead, with the worst of conditions yet to hit the state. The Premier says it is now not safe to move out of fire zones.
“In relation to the projections we had this morning, unfortunately they are coming to fruition. We are in for a long night and I make no bones about that.
“We are still to hit the worst of it”
Of the 148 fires burning across the state there are currently 12 blazes at emergency level, eight at a watch and act level, NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says.
He adds the southerly is due into NSW at around 5pm, and won’t reach Sydney until closer to midnight.
The Commissioner also says “pyro-convective activity” is forming, or conditions “where cyclonic winds of a fire flipped-over a 10-tonne truck”.
The Currowan fire looks particularly dire.
The @DeptDefence is once again provide assistance across #NSW firegrounds. On the Currowan Fire they are working with #NSWRFS search and rescue operators in the air. #nswfires pic.twitter.com/LgCe64KRjc
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) January 4, 2020
Joseph Lam 3.32pm: Power outages hit NSW
There are currently 30,627 Essential Energy customers in the Bateman’s Bay and Moruya region without power as catastrophic bushfire conditions have left the area inaccessible and unsafe for power workers.
Essential Energy predicts more outages to come in the south east area and are urging residents to stay at least 8m away from fallen or damaged power lines.
Report power line damage on 13 20 80.
Rosie Lewis 3.15pm: PM confirms India, Japan trip postponed
Scott Morrison has confirmed his trip to India and Japan has been postponed as fires burn across four states, with the leaders to try and find new dates for the visits “preferably earlier this year”.
“Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe was able to raise to me through his ambassador their sincerest wishes and deep sympathies to Australia, as did Prime Minister Modi directly,” Mr Morrison said.
“There was a lot of work we were looking forward to doing … at both of those meetings. We were at a very advanced stage when it came to defence, intelligence and security arrangements with both India and Japan and we were looking to progress those as well as broader trade discussions but they both understand that right now the ongoing nature of this crisis and also the fact that we will move as the fires roll on, there is a recovery then to be initiated.”
Joseph Lam 3.00pm: NSW records 11 emergency warnings since lunch
In less than two hours NSW has gone from watch and act to having 11 emergency level warnings across the state.
Penrith has reached its hottest temperature on record of 48.5C at 2.26pm, while Canberra reached a record high of 43.6C, beating the previous record in 1939.
The nearest emergency level fire to greater Sydney is at Green Wattle Creek while many fires are further south down the coast and a number sit by the NSW and Victorian border.
NSW currently has fire emergency warnings for: Adaminaby Complex, Clyde Mountain Fire, Currowan Fire, Doubtful Gap Trail, Dunns Road, East Ournie Creek, Good Good Fire, Green Valley Talmalmo, Green Wattle Creek, Inaloy Trail and Werri Berri.
In Victoria, 14 emergency level fires continue to burn across the state while five evacuate now warnings are in place.
Joseph Lam 2.20pm: Deputy Commissioner ‘disgusted’ by bushfire thieves
Plain clothes and uniformed officers are on patrol in fire-affected areas after NSW Police received reports of an unknown number of break-ins.
NSW Police issued the warning on Saturday reminding residents to report any suspicious behaviour and that foot patrols and air surveillances will find “would-be looters”.
Force Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said: “Police and emergency services are at the ready to prevent loss of life, livestock and property, and I am disgusted that anyone would target these vulnerable communities at this time.
“People in these areas have already lost members of their communities, seen property destroyed and suffered emotional turmoil from the recent fire activity, they do not need the added stress of looters stealing what little they might have left.
“Local police numbers are being bolstered by officers from specialist commands to ensure regular patrols are conducted throughout the bushfire-affected areas.
“With thousands of lives and homes at risk today, I can’t comprehend the type of person who’d think it’s OK to try and profit or benefit at other people’s expense.
“Any reports of criminal acts will be thoroughly investigated. This sort of behaviour will not be tolerated by police or the wider community, and police will take immediate action to put these people before the courts,” the statement read.
Residents are urged not to return to fire-affected areas until authorities have declared it safe to do so.
Rosie Lewis 2.05pm: PM ramps up the government’s response
Up to 3000 Army reservists will be called out and the HMAS Adelaide will also be deployed to assist in Australia’s bushfire crisis – which has seen more than 1500 homes destroyed and at least 23 confirmed deaths – as Scott Morrison ramps up the government's response.
The government will also lease an extra four water bombers at a cost of $20m to help the seven large planes already available for firefighting efforts. Two water bombers are due to arrive in a week and two will arrive in a fortnight but it is not clear which countries they are coming from.
The Prime Minister announced the government would no longer simply respond to requests from the states for resources but change to a “move forward” posture.
READ MORE: Bushfires: 3000 army reservists called out, extra water bombers leased
Joseph Lam 1.05pm: Army reservists called out
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced the commonwealth will no longer wait for state requests for assistance, as the Governor-General signed a call-out of the Defence Reserve across Australia.
For the first time in our nation’s history a compulsory call out for up to 3000 army reservists will be made, calling reserves to work in fire-affected areas across the country.
Three joint task forces have been established to assist across NSW, Victoria and South Australia.
The SA taskforce will pay particular focus on Kangaroo Island where two people died along the Playford Highway when fire overran their car.
The CFD will be run by two-star Major General Jake Ellwood.
The primary focus of these joint task forces is to provide isolated communities with supplies, provides evacuation to vulnerable people, to assess at-risk areas and to fight fire breaks away from the fire.
Reservists called upon will complete continuous full-time service and be treated as regular full-time members.
Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, an ADF reservist herself, said reservists will “remain in place until it is no longer needed”.
“This is what the ADF does best.
“Day jobs will be protected under legislation,” she later confirmed.
The navy’s largest ship HMAS Adelaide will also be deployed from Sydney, joining HMAS Choules and MV Sycamore to provide offshore assistance to fire-affected areas.
Joseph Lam 12.35pm: Evacuation centre mulch blaze
Crews are on scene at a fire in the Moss Vale Recovery Centre. Mulch is on fire and is producing a large column of smoke. No properties are threatened.#nswrfs #nswfires #frnsw pic.twitter.com/JOehPcR4ee
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) January 4, 2020
The RFS are on the scene at the Moss Vale Recover Centre where a pile of mulch has gone up in flames.
No properties are threatened however the blaze has produced a large column of smoke.
The RFS has warned of extreme conditions in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven region, the far south coast, Monaro Alpine, southern ranges, southern slopes and Eastern Riverina. Greater Sydney, greater Hunter and central ranges also face severe conditions.
The RFS has urged residents to “get ready now”, warning that “any fire that starts and takes hold will put lives and homes at risk”.
There is potential for new fires they are not aware of “which may threaten you without warning”.
Sixteen evacuation centres and two disaster welfare assistance points have been set up across NSW.
Residents facing immediate risk were told beaches and evacuation centres are the safest points of call.
In Victoria there are currently seven areas set to emergency level and seven areas where residents are told to evacuate now.
A southerly change is expected around midday however a smoke haze has pushed across the state and is visible from Melbourne.
Greg Brown 12.20pm: Fire brigade stands by Bermagui ahead of evening ember attacks
Rural Fire Service Bermagui incident controller Tim Holdsworth says ember attacks are likely to start hitting the NSW south coast town this evening.
Mr Holdsworth said bushfires to the west and the north of Bermagui are expected to start hitting the town from 5pm.
“With the way the weather conditions are predicted impact is anywhere from (5pm) but obviously it depends on the weather,” Mr Holdsworth told The Australian.
He said the local fire brigade had updated its strategies and was “standing by to defend Bermagui”.
“Conditions will elevate as the day progresses into the evening. Operationally we have put every plan in place to protect the village of Bermagui. Life is our priority,” Mr Holdsworth said.
He said locals who had not evacuated their home should congregate at the local football oval.
If the expected ember attacks begin, people can move to the Bermagui Country Club.
“But at no time do they come to the country club until this place is impacted,” he said.
He said an RFS strike force of five trucks had come to help fight the coming blaze from Sydney’s Sutherland brigade.
Rosie Lewis 11.40am: Albanese backs call for overseas support
Anthony Albanese has backed a call by former NSW fire chief Greg Mullins to look overseas to increase Australia’s firefighting aircraft, saying “we should be maximising use of all of our assets”.
“What I’m told and in listening to some of the advice of experts including the former fire chiefs, Greg Mullins and others who have experience here, is that in the northern hemisphere in particular there would be some planes that aren’t being utilised at the moment,” the Opposition Leader said.
“Of course there are circumstances such as in Victoria, one of the things about these fires I learnt in one of the briefings is that in some cases essentially the heat, the flames and the direct impact are going hundreds of metres into the air, making flying over particular areas impossible to do.
“We need to just make sure we’re using every asset at our disposal and it’s a good thing if we increase the number of assets that are available for use.”
Speaking in Adelaide alongside Labor’s Senate leader Penny Wong, Mr Albanese said the priority on Saturday was saving lives but he was also concerned about people’s mental health.
“I think about the sort of vision that we’ve seen of kids being placed in those circumstances whereby that will have a lasting memory, people will never forget it. What’s important is that it not have a long-term impact on them. I think mental health is going to have to be something that is really looked after, make sure we have those resources available,” he said.
The National Security Committee of cabinet has been meeting at Parliament House since 10am – some ministers by phone and others including Scott Morrison in person – to discuss the bushfire crisis.
The Prime Minister is due to hold a press conference shortly.
11.31am: Two dead in Kangaroo Island fires
Two people have died on Kangaroo Island.
The deaths occurred on the Playford Highway through the centre of the island, fire overrunning a car.
There are no other reports of missing persons on the island.
Yoni Bashan 11.30am: Mixed fortunes in NSW firefighting budgets
Exclusive: Funding for professional firefighters has barely risen since the NSW government was elected almost a decade ago, with analysis showing budgets have flatlined and firefighter numbers have slid backwards in the face of deteriorating bushfire conditions.
While Fire and Rescue NSW has experienced a drop of 111 professional firefighters, including three full-time officers and 108 employed on-call, the Rural Fire Service budget has nearly doubled since 2011.
11.20am: 21 missing in Victoria
There are still more than 20 people missing in Victoria’s deadly bushfires.
In a slight drop from the 28 people missing on Friday, authorities say there are now 21 people missing in the East Gippsland fire zone.
The fires have already killed Buchan man Mick Roberts and Maramingo Creek man Fred Becker.
The number of missing people is expected to fluctuate, Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton says.
Authorities are trying to get into 18 isolated communities in East Gippsland and the northeast where fires have been raging all week, but so far access has only been achieved at two.
The plan is to get in to those communities with the military helicopters sent to help in the disaster and provide the people with satellite phones. “As soon as they get notified that the smoke will allow entry, they will be into there through the course of the day,” Mr Ashton said.
AAP
Lisa Allen 11.05am: Luxury Kangaroo Island accommodation closes
One of Australia’s most prestigious luxury lodges has been forced to close following significant bushfire damage overnight.
Southern Ocean Lodge, the remote Kangaroo Island property favoured by cashed up locals and wealthy American tourists alike, has sustained major structural damage from the bushfires which have been ravaging the popular South Australian island off Adelaide for weeks.
Greg Brown 11.00am: Trucks arrive in Bermagui
Five RFS trucks from outside Bermagui are in town to help the local brigade.
The fire crew remained in briefings at the local country club at 11am.
Greg Brown 10.30am: Fireys at the ready in Bermagui
Firefighters are preparing the defend key infrastructure at the NSW south coast town of Bermagui, amid expectations of bushfires in the region as heat and winds are predicted to pick up on Saturday afternoon.
The beach town, typically bustling at this time of year, is largely deserted despite some locals choosing to stay.
Police are walking through town telling remaining residents they should evacuate and their lives were in danger.
Rural Fire Service firefighters are meeting in the local country club and hatching plans to combat the potential blaze.
Local publican Yannis Gantner and his partner Claire Wheaton were asked by the RFS to stay in town and help defend the Bermagui Beach Hotel and local shops from being destroyed.
“We have got to defend the town. We have got some key assets and the RFS have identified key assets that preserve a town and they needed help to preserve those,” Mr Gantner said.
“We have been told we will be on standby so we will be protecting the main street and the pub and the Woolies behind it.”
Mr Gantner, who also attended a RFS meeting on Saturday morning, said the advice about the bushfire predictions was “pretty dire”.
“Winds, temperature, certainly fire at all angles and wind fanning it at all of those angles. So Bermi will come under ember attack,” Mr Gantner said.
“I don’t think there is any doubt about that if it does what it is predicted to do. That is why we are here to put out those embers and to try and save as much as it can. If we can’t and it becomes too hectic we will have to go to the beach and wait it out.”
Local woman Penny Shelling was among a handful of people who were camping by the beach awaiting likely fires.
The campers plan to lie against the bank of the beach with wool blankets if the bushfire hits town.
“I’ve got friends who are well seasoned fire people and she told me to get under wool blankets up against the bank on the beach and that is the best thing. So we are pitched here,’ Ms Shelly said.
“We’ve lived on this area for 32 years. We have never seen nothing like this. We haven’t had a full tank of water for about a year. The bush is that thick and it is that dry, it is like matchsticks going up.
“It is like Armageddon. It is like living in hell.”
Elderly woman Michelle Medelis has left her home near the bush to stay with a friend close to the beach.
But she won’t leave Bermagui because she said other places were just as vulnerable.
“It was pointless really. I mean if you get stuck on the Snowy Mountains Highway and they close the road how am I going to get out? It will incinerate my car,” Ms Medelis said.
“We are damned if we do and damned if we don’t.”
Ms Medelis, who was getting around on a golf buggy, said she would go near the lagoon if the fire hit.
Firefighters are telling locals to go to the local football oval if blazes threaten the town.
Greg Brown 10.00am: ‘I just wanted to tell PM what happened’
The woman whose refusal to shake Scott Morrison’s hand sparked a national debate about the government’s response to the bushfire crisis says she wanted to tell the Prime Minister of the pain being felt by the NSW town of Cobargo.
Zoey Salucci-McDermott accused Mr Morrison of “walking away” from her when he visited her town on Thursday, after she told him she would not shake his hand unless he committed more money to the town’s rebuild and the Rural Fire Service.
Mr Morrison walked away when former Bega Valley councillor Tony Allen intervened.
9.37am: Victoria’s fire danger rages on
New emergency warnings have been issued in Victoria’s fire-ravaged east, taking the total to six, while the first evacuees shipped out by the navy have safely arrived in port.
An emergency alert for Nowa Nowa in East Gippsland went out about 8.30am on Saturday.
“There is a bushfire at Buchan Valley that is not yet under control,” the alert reads.
“The bushfire has escaped control lines at Mount Nowa Nowa and is spreading towards the Nowa Nowa township.” People in the town are being told to leave via Princes Highway towards Lakes Entrance.
The Buchan Valley fire has merged with several others during the past week, with several alerts in place for townships bordering the blaze.
Emergency warnings are also active for a 124,000 hectare blaze near Corryong in the northeast and for Biggara, Towong and surrounding communities. There are several watch and act alerts in place for the same fires, including a 112,800 hectare fire that drove 4000 people to shelter on the beach at Mallacoota during the week.
The first evacuees from the holiday town 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 1100 people will be following the Sycamore.
“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. About 50 fires continue to burn across Victoria with more than 820,000 hectares destroyed – all mostly in the East Gippsland and northeast of the state. There are 28 people missing in East Gippsland, in addition to two men confirmed dead in the fires.
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.
Temperatures are expected to creep higher on Saturday, with parts of Gippsland forecast to hit 40C and areas of the northeast to reach 45C, before a gusty southerly change in the afternoon.
There are fears dry lightning storms will start more fires.
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.
AAP
9.20am: NSW emergency services minister returns, won’t step down
The NSW emergency service minister says he will “step up, not step down” after jetting back from an “inexcusable” overseas holiday to face the state’s bushfire crisis.
David Elliott on Saturday morning fronted reporters at the NSW Rural Fire Service headquarters in Sydney.
“I arrived here last night and I spoke to (southern NSW recovery co-ordinator) Dick Adams,” he told reporters.
“I will be supporting the premier and the commissioner, making sure that I get on top of the operations and the deployments that occur today.” Asked if he planned to stay on in his role, Mr Elliott said “I came back to step up, not step down”.
Mr Elliott on Friday night apologised for being overseas as bushfires ripped through the south coast of NSW.
“My absence over the last week was inexcusable,” he said.
“I should have put my RFS family first and foremost given the current conditions (even my own family acknowledge that) and now it’s time to get back to work.”
The Baulkham Hills MP came in for heavy community criticism for travelling overseas during a bushfire season in which almost 1300 homes have been razed, 17 lives lost and bush three times the size of Sydney burnt.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian did not go into detail when asked about Mr Elliott’s plans for Saturday’s forecast bushfire “onslaught”. “He’s here (at RFS headquarters). He will be here,” she told reporters. Ms Berejiklian said “of course” she was glad to have Mr Elliott back in the country.
AAP
8.50am: ‘Success if no lives are lost’
Thousands have fled NSW bushfire danger zones ahead of soaring temperatures and strong winds forecast to fan a bushfire “onslaught” across large chunks of the state.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged people to evacuate bushfire hot spots while they still have the time.
“I’m pleased to say that we’ve never been as prepared as we are today for the onslaught we’re likely to face,” she told reporters on Saturday morning. “All of the major road networks are still open, but we can’t guarantee that beyond the next few hours. So, there are still windows for people to get out.” There are some 137 bushfires burning in NSW on Saturday morning, with around 60 uncontained.
More than 3000 firefighters are on the frontline, with 31 specialist strike teams in place across NSW.
“We will be very happy and call it a success if there are no lives lost,” RFS Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers said.
NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said temperatures would soar past 40C in southeastern NSW before a “volatile” southerly wind sweeps through in the afternoon.
“We’re going to have a long day dominated by hot temperatures, dry atmosphere and winds coming out of the ranges,” he told reporters.
“It will make for a very dangerous day and it will make for volatile fire grounds.”
Extreme fire danger is forecast for six fire districts in NSW’s southeast and the ACT, while severe conditions are forecast for Sydney, the Hunter and the central ranges.
Five “no go” zones have been established across broad sections of the south coast, parts of the alpine region and on fire-threatened parts of Sydney’s fringes.
Authorities are urging people there to head to cities, large towns, already- burnt areas or beaches if they hadn’t already left.
Temperatures are forecast to reach 45C inland and up to 44C on the coast. Sydney’s outskirts could hit 46C. A gusty southerly is forecast to reach the far south coast from midafternoon, reaching Sydney about midnight. The Regional Express airline suspended all NSW south coast services on Saturday morning due to the extreme bushfire conditions.
Liberal Bega MP Andrew Constance, who plans to defend his home on Saturday, said the region could be “smashed”.
“We have got over 500,000 hectares ablaze. That’s a massive, massive fire front,” he told the ABC on Saturday morning.
A statewide total fire ban will remain in place on Saturday, as will a state of emergency, which is the third declared in as many months.
Eight people, including a firefighter, have died since Monday. Another man, seriously burnt in a bushfire in November, died in hospital on Sunday.
AAP
8.30am: First evacuees reach port
The first evacuees from the fire-besieged holiday town of Mallacoota have arrived at a Victorian port.
HMAS Sycamore docked earlier than expected at Hastings on the Mornington Peninsula on Saturday, carrying 60 people fleeing the deadly fires raging in Victoria’s east.
More people will be carried to safety on HMAS Choules, which is also on its way to Hastings.
AAP
Hung house fear fuels campaign warchests
Voters in key election seats will be targeted in one of Australia’s biggest third-party campaigns, with industry groups, activists, unions and individuals finalising multimillion-dollar warchests.
Big business, Dutton on same page
Business chiefs will campaign for measures already endorsed by Peter Dutton and heap pressure on Anthony Albanese over spending, deregulation and tax.