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Bushfire emergency Queensland, NSW, WA: Teen charges over Qld blaze which destroyed 14 homes

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with lighting the fire that destroyed 14 homes as Hillville returns to emergency level.

Emily Ritchie and Kieran Gair
20 min read
2:42PMNovember 14, 2019.
Updated 10:46PMNovember 14, 2019
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The Gospers Mountain fire near Colo Heights, north west of Sydney. Picture: AAP.
The Gospers Mountain fire near Colo Heights, north west of Sydney. Picture: AAP.

Hello and welcome to The Australian’s live coverage of the bushfires across Queensland and NSW. Conditions have eased in NSW, but emergency services remain on high alert ahead of high temperatures on Friday. Queensland will see a reprieve on Thursday but is bracing for worsening conditions.

KEY LINKS: Check QUEENSLAND bushfires near you | Check NSW fires near you |

READ MORE: Inquirer: Why this fire season is so different | Give funds to needy, GetUp told | Scientists ‘careful’ over weather signals | Empty dam leaves farmer distraught | As bushfire window shrinks, ‘we need to get more inventive’ | Paul Kelly writes: After the fires, combustive issues to resolve

Kieran Gair 9.51pm: NSW destruction becomes more clear

At least 329 homes have been destroyed in the “unprecedented” NSW bushfires, with the state’s Emergency Services Minister David Elliott confirming the revised number to parliament on Thursday night.

At least 50 homes were destroyed on Tuesday when the state faced a “catastrophic” fire danger and about 131 homes have been damaged since last Friday, Mr Elliott said.

Meanwhile, a forecast of more warm, dry and windy weather has raised Friday’s danger rating to severe from the far north coast down to the Illawarra-Shoalhaven region.

NSW Health said the state will also experience poor air quality on Friday, with smoke from fires burning north of Sydney posing a potential health risk, particularly for people with respiratory conditions.

The RFS said 1600 firefighters are battling about 61 fires around NSW, with 35 uncontained. More than 70 aircraft and 500 vehicles are in place to support them.

“Even in these pretty benign conditions we’re seeing quite a lot of aggressive fire behaviour simply because it’s so dry,” RFS Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers said on Thursday.

“Conditions will start to warm up tomorrow [Friday], into the weekend and then heating up early next week, a return to most gusty conditions. We’re in for the long haul.”

Two emergency warnings remained in place on Thursday evening, one for the 5200ha Bora Ridge fire burning southeast of Casino and the second for the Myall Creek Road fire near Byron Bay.

The Insurance Council of Australia said insurers had received 730 claim applications, with initial losses totalling $80 million.

Kieran Gair 9.08pm: Hillville back at emergency level

An emergency warning has been issued for the Hillville Road Fire, south of Taree, bringing the total number of emergency warnings in place across NSW to two.

“The fire is active in the Kiwarric Mountain area and is moving south west,” the RFS said.

“If you are in Nabiac, Dyers Crossing or Krambach, shelter as the fire approaches. Protect yourself from the heat.”

The RFS said 1000 firefighters remain in the field battling 67 active bushfires.

Kieran Gair 8.28pm: Extreme conditions for Queensland tomorrow

Exhausted fire crews facing dozens of blazes in Queensland will endure more extreme weather conditions on Friday when dry westerlies push hot air across the state.

A number of fires are still burning between Brisbane and the NSW border, including in the Scenic Rim, west of the Gold Coast. A large blaze is still burning in difficult terrain near the five-star Spicers Peak Lodge on the Southern Downs.

Storms are also forecast in some areas and could potentially bring about dry lightning.

Alerts remain in place for Black Snake, in the Gympie region, and the coastal towns of Woodgate and Buxton, south of Bundaberg.

Queensland’s current fire crisis erupted nearly a week ago, and 70 fires are still burning across the state.

Residents of Noosa North Shore have been allowed to return home after being evacuated twice in one week.

Kieran Gair 8.26pm: 67 fires rage in NSW

A state of emergency remains in place for NSW as 67 fires continue to rage across the length of the state, from Loftus south of Sydney to Murwillumbah, just below the Queensland border.

One out-of-control blaze is burning at emergency level on the state’s mid north coast, near Bora Ridge and inland from the village of New Italy.

Meanwhile, 58 schools and six TAFE colleges will remain closed on Friday in fire-affected areas across NSW.

A total fire ban has been issued for the far north coast, north coast, greater Hunter, greater Sydney region, New England, Illawarra/Shoalhaven, Central Ranges and the Northern Slopes for Friday.

NSW Bushfires: Worst to come - frontline firies battle flames

Kieran Gair 7.29pm: Two men caught allegedly lighting fires

Exasperated NSW police are again being forced to warn people against breaching total fire bans after another two men were allegedly spotted lighting fires in separate incidents on Wednesday.

Police allege a 37-year-old man used a crowbar to lift a section of footpath on Johnstone Street, Annandale, before setting underground wires alight just before 2am on Wednesday morning.

Police fielded a number of panicked calls from passers-by and neighbours after “flames were seen coming out of the ground,” police said on Thursday.

Emergency services were called to the scene and raced to extinguish the blaze amid fears it could have sparked an electrical fire.

The man allegedly behind the blaze was arrested 12 hours later at his home, also on Johnston Street.

“A search warrant was executed [and] several items were seized,” police said in a statement.

The man left the scene in the company of a woman, but police said they are still trying to track her down.

In a separate incident, emergency services were called to a home on Long Point Road East in the Hunter Valley, after neighbours reported a small fire had been lit in the backyard.

Police allege the 26-year-old man who owned the home had lit the fire to burn rubbish outside.

The blaze was located less than 40 metres from a shed that contained several potential accelerants - including petrol, oil and fertilisers.

The man will appear in Singleton Local Court in January to face one count of failing to comply with a total fire ban.

Kieran Gair 7.15pm: Minister’s outburst after question on fires and climate change

The NSW emergency services minister has lashed out at Labor after he was asked about the link between bushfires and climate change in Question Time.

David Elliott said he would have to defer to those in the environment portfolio because he was focused on the welfare of 1500 firefighters.

“I find it offensive that they have not asked one question about the welfare of emergency service workers,” he said when Opposition Leader Jodi McKay pressed him for an answer.

“I’m going to treat that question with the contempt it deserves.

“I’m quite comfortable with the government’s approach to climate change and certainly the way that we manage the environment.”

The outburst came after opposition environment spokeswoman Kate Washington asked Mr Elliott if he accepted climate change was influencing the frequency and severity of NSW bushfires.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian this week said it was “inappropriate” to discuss the link between climate change and the state’s bushfire crisis while the fires raged.

Kieran Gair 6.23pm: Another alleged arsonist arrested

A 20-year-old man has allegedly been caught red-handed trying to set fire to bushland in Balgownie, near Wollongong, on Wednesday afternoon.

Police stumbled on the alleged arsonist by accident while he was in the process of “fanning the flames,” after having been called to the area to rescue a paraglider stuck in a tree.

Officers were in the process of helping the 61-year-old paraglider shortly after 2pm on Wednesday, when they smelled smoke.

The suspected firebug was arrested and taken to Wollongong Police Station where he was charged with setting fire to property.

Fire and Rescue NSW were called to extinguish the blaze, which consumed approximately 150 square metres of bushland.

The man is due to appear in Wollongong Local Court on December 3.

Kieran Gair 5.04pm: New emergency warning in NSW

An emergency warning has been issued for a fire burning at Myall Creek Road in the Richmond Valley on the mid north coast of NSW.

The out-of-control fire is more than 5200ha and is burning in the area of Bungawalbin and Yellow Creek.

The RFS said northerly winds are pushing the fire south towards the village of New Italy.

People in the areas of Neileys Lagoon and Yellow Crossing are being warned to shelter as the fire approaches.

The Pacific Highway is open, but motorists have been told visibility may be affected by smoke.

2.30pm: Charlie Peel Teen charged with setting fire which destroyed 14 homes

A teenage boy has been charged with lighting the fire that destroyed 14 homes in central Queensland.

The 16-year-old allegedly sparked the blaze that tore through a residential area between Rockhampton and Yeppoon at the weekend, destroying 36 buildings and leaving more than a dozen families homeless.

State Disaster Commander Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said the alleged offender would be dealt with under the Youth Justice Act.

“It’s really disappointing,” he said.

“People make decisions sometimes that are reckless or they just don’t think about the circumstances and in some ways you could call it accidental, but it’s not – there are plenty of warnings out there and there’s a fire ban.

“Unfortunately there is a spectrum of behaviour and we see people acting maliciously as well.”

Deputy Commissioner Gollschewski said it was fortunate that no lives had been lost as a result of the fire.

The fire was started about 1.30pm Saturday, at Cobraball.

A number of investigations remain ongoing to determine the cause of several fires that have burnt throughout Queensland in recent months.

Deputy Commissioner Gollschewski said there had been 218 suspicious fires investigated since September, 86 of which had been finalised.

“We’ve seen 48 of those resulting in policing actions, with 66 people being dealt with,” he said.

Speaking to media in Yeppoon, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said parents needed to speak to their children about the seriousness of lighting fires.

“I think everyone is angry and everyone is disappointed,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“I think everybody needs to sit down and talk to their children about the consequences. Thankfully there were no live lost but it could have been a whole different story.”

Fire rages through the Yeppoon area on the weekend. Picture: Kunwarara Rural Fire.
Fire rages through the Yeppoon area on the weekend. Picture: Kunwarara Rural Fire.

1.35pm: Luxury lodge set to evacuate

Owners of the luxury Spicers Peak Lodge west of the Gold Coast have been told to prepare to leave as the Clumber fire move toward them.

1.30pm: Person charged over Queensland fire

A person has been charged with lighting a fire that destroyed 42 buildings in Queensland. The fire at Cobrabull and Bungundarra destroyed 14 homes and 28 sheds.

Queensland Fire and Emergency has warned Gladstone residents that smoke from the large fire is impacting their area.

Elias Visontay 1.10pm: Barry’s death ‘will touch lives’

Bellbook RFS captain, Gerard Wade has paid tribute to Barry Parsons. Picture: John Feder.
Bellbook RFS captain, Gerard Wade has paid tribute to Barry Parsons. Picture: John Feder.
The bushfire affected area of Willawarrin where Barry Parsons’ body was found. Picture: John Feder.
The bushfire affected area of Willawarrin where Barry Parsons’ body was found. Picture: John Feder.

The fourth victim of the NSW and Queensland bushfires has been remembered as “a good fella” whose death would “touch lives” in his local community on NSW’S Mid North coast.

“He’s a local, he’s a good fella,” Gerard “Chunk” Wade, captain of the local Bellbrook RFS station, said of 58-year-old Barry Parsons.

“(He was) quite well known in Willawarrin … That will touch lives really bad.” Mr Wade said from the cordoned off entrance to the Kyuna Track, where Mr Parsons was discovered on Wednesday night at the shed he lived in alone..

Mr Wade said local firefighters were “very broken-hearted” to learn of the death, after they battled fires at nine properties on Friday night.

“They’re pretty shattered … They were all rallying together.

“It was just purple and red cloud that we just kept driving into continuously. It’s like very, very sad.” Mr Wade said.

He explained the area around Willawarrin was still without power and that it had affected communication about the death.

“We’re still battling along, we’re keeping our chins up,being Australians and doing it tough.”

“We just keep fighting.” Mr Wade said

Barry Parsons, 58, is the fourth person to die in the NSW fires. Picture: Facebook.
Barry Parsons, 58, is the fourth person to die in the NSW fires. Picture: Facebook.

12.45pm: Probe into fire at barracks

Investigations are under way into whether a fire that broke out during a military training exercise is related to a blaze that damaged three houses in the Gold Coast hinterland weeks later.

Officials from the Department of Defence and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) are still fighting the fire burning on and next to the Kokoda Barracks field training area at Lower Beechmont since October 27. The cause of the blaze on defence land is being investigated for its potential link to training exercises.

A fire sparked during an exercise at the Kokoda Barracks field training area on October 24 was extinguished, but fires repeatedly flared in two sections of the defence land in the days that followed.

Defence cannot confirm if these fires are related to the military training activity of 24 October.

“The unit conducting the training activity followed all necessary bushfire mitigation measures, including checking with the Queensland Rural Fire Service for the day’s fire rating prior to training and carrying appropriate firefighting equipment during the activity,” the spokesperson said.

The unit also cleared the immediate area around where the fire had occurred of combustible material, doused the area and completed necessary reporting. But fires flared in two places in the training area on October 27 and again two days later.

“Defence cannot confirm if these fires are related to the military training activity of October 24,” the spokesperson said.

“Defence is conducting a full investigation into the cause and management of fire on Defence land.”

12.15pm: Former fire chiefs urge: Declare climate emergency

Former emergency services chiefs L – R) Neil Bibby, Bob Conroy, Greg Mullins, Mike Brown and Lee Johnson speak to reporters. Picture: AAP.
Former emergency services chiefs L – R) Neil Bibby, Bob Conroy, Greg Mullins, Mike Brown and Lee Johnson speak to reporters. Picture: AAP.

Former fire chiefs from across Australia have urged the federal government to declare a climate emergency, saying experts had warned about disasters such as this week’s bushfires ‘for decades.’

Former Fire and Rescue NSW commissioner Greg Mullins said Australians are in a “new age of unprecedented bushfire danger”.

“We’d like to see Labor, the coalition government, Greens and the crossbenchers all come together and declare a climate emergency,” he told reporters in Sydney on Thursday.

Mr Mullins was speaking at a joint press conference with former Queensland Fire and Emergency Services commissioner Lee Johnson, ex-Country Fire Authority Victoria chief executive Neil Bibby and former Tasmania Fire Service chief fire officer Mike Brown.

They form part of a coalition of 23 fire and emergency leaders from every state and territory, known as Emergency Leaders for Climate Change. “This week’s catastrophic fires are exactly the type of disaster that emergency leaders and climate scientists have been warning about for decades and summer hasn’t even begun,” Mr Mullins said in a statement.

“Climate change is the key reason why fire seasons are lengthening, fires are harder to control, and access to international firefighting resources like large aircraft is becoming more difficult.

“The government must respond to this urgent threat with an urgent response.” Mr Mullins said Australia needed to “rapidly bring down coal emissions” and transition away from coal, oil and gas.

Mr Mullins told reporters members of the group had disparate political views and experiences but stood united in demanding action on climate change. “If it’s not time now to speak about climate and what’s driving these events – when?” he said.

He also slammed what he saw as an unofficial gag order on speaking about climate change.

“This fire season is going to go for months, so do we just simply get gagged? Because I think that’s what’s happening,” he said.

“Some people want the debate gagged because they don’t have any answers. “It’s OK to say it’s arsonists’ fault, or that the ‘greenies’ are stopping hazard reduction burning, which simply isn’t true, but you’re not allowed to talk about climate change. Well, we are, because we know what’s happening.”

AAP

Olivia Caisley 11.40am: US sends air tanker to help fireys

US Ambassador to Australia, Arthur Culvahouse Jr, has praised the efforts of firefighters battling “catastrophic” blazes across NSW and Queensland this week, offering his condolences to those that have lost loved ones and their homes.

“On behalf of the American people and government, I would like to extend my sincerest condolences to the families and communities who have lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods in the terrible bushfires in recent days,” Mr Culvahouse said.

“The fire and rescue services of Queensland and New South Wales have faced exceptional danger and challenges over the last week, and more is yet to come with additional dry, hot conditions predicted.”

He praised Australian firefighters as being some of the most professional and effective in the world and said a tactical firefighting air tanker – Tanker 911 – was on its way from New Mexico to help Australia fight the blaze.

“Our fire services’ co-operation extends back decades and is part of the long U.S.-Australian friendship and alliance,” he said.

“These converted DC-10 aircraft can drop up to 9,400 gallons of fire retardant and have been used with success in Australia several times in recent years.”

Anne Barrowclough 11.15am: Fire victim's lonely last post

Barry Parsons, 58, is the fourth person to die in the NSW fires. Picture: Facebook.
Barry Parsons, 58, is the fourth person to die in the NSW fires. Picture: Facebook.
Mr Parsons died in a bushfire west of Kempsey. .
Mr Parsons died in a bushfire west of Kempsey. .

The man whose body was found in burnt out bushland west of Kempsey last night sent a haunting Facebook post on Friday as the fires raged around him.

“Seriously looks and sounds like apocolyse (sic) out there. F***ed up being on your own in these times”, wrote the latest fire victim, who has been named as Barry Parsons.

Mr Parsons’ body was found on the Kyuna Track at Willawarrin, 34km from Kempsey, just before midnight on Wednesday.

The 58-year-old, who lived in a nearby shed, was last seen on Friday. He hadn’t been seen at the Kempsey evacuation centre during the fires. Sky News reports that several water pumps which locals had planned to use to fight the fires had been stolen.

11.10am: Climate change ‘driver of fires’

Fires burning near Noosa) fire. Picture; Paul Smith.
Fires burning near Noosa) fire. Picture; Paul Smith.

The former head of Queensland’s fire service has pointed to climate change as the driver behind dry conditions fanning dozens of bushfires across the state.

Lee Johnson, former Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner, on Friday said the bushfire season that has razed homes and hundreds of thousands of hectares of land was like nothing he’d seen in his decades-long career.

“I’m here for my children and my grandchildren, because I am fundamentally concerned about the impact and the damage coming from climate change,” he said. “There’s something going on, and climate change are exacerbating the dry conditions we are all experiencing.” Mr Johnson warned conditions would remain extreme through the summer without significant rain.

There is no rain forecast until early next year.

“In Queensland alone, without speaking for the rest of the country, we need hundreds of millimetres of rain to bring the risk back to something like normal,” Mr Johnson added.

“So our conditions are very much abnormal and driven very much by what’s happening in our atmosphere, and that influenced by greenhouse gases.”

10.30am: Fireys in for long haul

Better weather conditions in NSW have failed to make a dent on “aggressive fire behaviour”, with 56 fires still burning as of 10am this morning, and 24 still to be contained.

Commissioner Rob Rogers said the passing of Tuesday’s “catastrophic” fire warning day had not made battling blazes easier. “We had a better day yesterday, only one fire got to emergency warning, but even in these pretty benign conditions we’re seeing quite a lot of aggressive fire behaviour simply because it’s so dry,” Mr Rogers told the Seven Network. “Conditions starting to warm up tomorrow, into the weekend and then heating up early next week, a return to more gusty conditions. We’re in for the long haul.”

A Watch and Act alert has been put out for Myall Creek Rd and Bora Ridge. The RFS has tweeted that northerly winds will push fire south towards New Italy, Donaldson & Doubleduke State Forest.

The RFS has confirmed more than 300 homes have been destroyed or damaged since Friday, at least 50 of them on Tuesday.

10.20am: Bundaberg fire concerns

A fire south of Bundaberg is causing concern, with Queensland Fire and Emergency warning residents of Woodgate/Walkers Point Rd to leave now and residents of Kinkuna Waters to prepare to leave.

QFES warns: "there is a bushfire in Woodgate and conditions are getting worse. Follow your survival plan now.”

9.20am: Fourth body found in NSW

A man’s body has been found in burnt-out bushland at Willawarrin, west of Kempsey, according to NSW police.

The 58-year-old, who is yet to be formally identified, was last seen on Friday November 8. His body was discovered by local residents on Wednesday night on the southern end of the Kyuna Track. The man, who lived in a shed, had not been seen since Friday.

His death comes after the deaths of Julie Fletcher, who died in Johns River on Saturday, and Vivian Chaplain and George Nole of Wytaliba.

Greg Brown 8.40am: Give funds to needy, GetUp told

Firefighters at Possum Brush south of Taree. Picture: John Feder.
Firefighters at Possum Brush south of Taree. Picture: John Feder.

A community leader in the fire-ravaged NSW town of Taree has called on GetUp to give the money it raises campaigning against Scott Morrison’s climate change policies to his volunteer organisation that is helping bushfire victims.

Lions Club of Taree president George Greaves labelled GetUp “dickheads” for using the bushfire crisis to raise money in its campaign against the government’s plan to crack down on climate protesters. Mr Greaves said GetUp should give all the funds it raised during the fires to help his efforts distributing food, produce and clothing to farmers who had lost property in the catastrophe.

Click here for the full story

Jamie Walker 8.20am: Homes chances up 25pc if owner stays

Research led by an expert consultant to the royal commission into the Black Saturday bushfire disaster has found that homes are up to 25 per cent more likely to be saved if an owner stays to fight the flames.

The conclusions by professor Ross Bradstock and research fellow­ Owen Price will reignite the “stay or go” debate, as the crisis gripping the eastern seaboard escalat­es in Queensland, where residents of a subdivision on the Sunshine Coast were evacuated for the second time in five days, one of four communities to be cleared on Wednesday.

Click here for the full story

Emily Ritchie 8.10am: Outrage over fireworks display

A “senseless” 20-minute fireworks display on Sydney Harbour overnight has sparked outrage from the public, prompting questions over how it was allowed to go ahead during a statewide total fire ban.

The fireworks display was staged east of the Opera House on Wednesday night as emergency services battled multiple active bushfires across the state.

The fire ban remains in place due to the bushfire crisis ravaging the east coast, with at least five people fined yesterday for flouting the restrictions.

People took to social media last night to critique the use of fireworks in Sydney.

Some described the display as a “joke,” “tone deaf” and “senseless,” while others argued the money should instead be used to fund fire crews.

NSW Rural Fire Service Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers explained that, if they are assessed as safe, firework displays are typically exempt from a fire ban.

“Normally fireworks, where a fire authority has looked at the safety of it and is satisfied that it’s safe, they get an exemption,” Mr Rogers told the Seven Network.

“It was assessed by Fire & Rescue, they made a recommendation it was appropriate to go ahead and we followed their advice. We try not to disrupt too much, so if we think it’s safe we try and let it go ahead.”

7.25am: Noosa residents told to leave

Police close the ferry at Tewantin as a precaution with the Noosa North Shore bush fire. Picture: Patrick Woods.
Police close the ferry at Tewantin as a precaution with the Noosa North Shore bush fire. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Residents of Noosa North Shore are again being told to leave now. Firefighters and waterbombing aircraft are battling the blaze that jumped containment lines on the northern banks of the Noosa River. A large fire is still burning in difficult terrain near the five-star Spicers Peak Lodge on the Southern Downs, but it is not directly impacting properties.

7.15am: ‘Leave now’

Residents of two northern Queensland towns near Gympie and Bundaberg have been told to leave now as bushfires in the areas worsen.

The alerts were issued for Black Snake, in the Gympie region and Woodgate, south of Bundaberg early on Thursday morning.

Fire conditions in both areas deteriorated overnight and aren’t expected to improve in the near term, the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services said. In Black Snake, fire crews are trying to strengthen containment lines while conducting backburning operations ahead of a slow-moving fire heading in a south-easterly direction towards Thornside Road.

“The fire could have a significant impact on the community,” the QFES said and warned power, water and mobile phone services could be lost. Residents of Woodgate have been told their safest option is to leave now as a fire travels toward Walkers Point Road.

“Fire crews will be working contain the fire but firefighters may not be able to protect every property.” the QFES said.

An evacuation centre has been set up at the Isis Cultural Centre in Childers. Meanwhile, people in Kinkuna Waters, which is near Woodgate, are also on alert.

AAP

7.10am: Catastrophic warning for East Pilbara

The East Pilbara Coast has been warned of a catastrophic fire rating with temperatures of 43C today.

Extreme Fire Danger is forecast for the East Pilbara Inland and Severe Fire Danger is forecast for the Inland Central West, West Kimberley Coast, Kimberley Inland, West Pilbara Coast and North Interior

AAP

6.55am: Fire warning in Geraldton, WA

A bushfire warning for residents in the greater Geraldton area of WA has been issued, with people urged to leave or get ready to actively defend their homes. There is a possible threat to lives and homes as a fire is approaching in the area and conditions are changing,the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said early on Thursday.

The ‘Watch and Act’ alert affects the northern part of Glenfield and southern part of Drummond Cove in Geraldton.

Residents bounded by Glenfield Beach Drive, Hillview Drive, Reef Boulevard and Chapman Road, including 440 Roadhouse in Glenfield and Drummond Cove, have been warned to leave or prepare to actively defend their homes.

Residents were also warned not to attempt to return if they are away from home as conditions in the area could be very dangerous.

Authorities said the fire was contained but not controlled, with the danger of burning embers.

Jamie Walker 6.50am: Nothing typical any more

Wytaliba resident Tony Keating was lucky to only loose his sheds, but saved his home. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen.
Wytaliba resident Tony Keating was lucky to only loose his sheds, but saved his home. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen.

Parts of the country are burning that have never burned before: rainforests are going up and ­communities attuned to dealing with floods and cyclones are being confronted by walls of flame, hurling them into a whole new world of hurt and heartache.

Those who prepared painstakingly, as the 100-odd residents of Wytaliba did, discovered nothing could stand in the way of the firestorm that hit on Friday afternoon. In 15 terrifying minutes, a hot, hazy day on the NSW Northern Tablelands turned into a test of survival when the township was engulfed. Two died and at latest count 45 houses were destroyed.

Click here for the full story

6.30am: Arsonist in Black Hawk chase

A suspected arsonist has been arrested after he was seen acting suspiciously by the crew of an army Black Hawk helicopter who chased him through Sydney’s Royal National Park.

The 6th Aviation Regiment unit was returning to Holsworthy base after helping in the bushfire effort in the Blue Mountains when they saw a man acting suspiciously, The Daily Telegraph reports.

The crew alerted police and kept the man in sight, flying low over bushland to find his hiding place. He was arrested late on Wednesday.

6.20am: State of fires in NSW

At 6am on Thursday there were more than 800 firefighters battling 61 fires across NSW, with 25 yet to be contained the Rural Fire Service said.

“8 fires are at Watch and Act. There’s Very High fire danger for many parts of the state today. Know what you will do if fire threatens.,” the RFS said on Twitter.

About 55 schools will remain closed in fire-affected areas.

The Gospers Mountain fire burns near Colo Heights, north west of Sydney. Picture: AAP.
The Gospers Mountain fire burns near Colo Heights, north west of Sydney. Picture: AAP.

.6.15am: Queensland braces for worsening weather

Firefighters will make the most of a brief weather reprieve to strengthen containment lines as Queensland braces for worsening conditions. More than 70 fires are burning across the state as firefighters work frantically to contain the risk with the fire threat is set to intensify on Friday. Moist coastal winds will bring short-lived relief on Thursday before westerly winds dominate conditions the next day.

The weather bureau warns the westerlies will push extremely dry air back towards the coastal fringe.

“We would expect to see the maximum temperature quickly return to four-to-eight degrees above the November average on Friday and into the weekend,” a spokeswoman said.

“When we combine that with the dry air, we expect to see elevated fire dangers once again as we head toward the weekend.” On Wednesday, “leave now” warnings were issued for the Sunshine Coast, Kilkivan, at Woodgate, south of Bundaberg, and at Pechey near Toowoomba. A large fire was also burning in difficult terrain near the five-star Spicers Peak Lodge on the Southern Downs.

There are several fires west of the Gold Coast, including in the Scenic Rim, and a blaze in Cobraball near Yeppoon in central Queensland continues to be of significant concern.

It has claimed 13 of the 14 houses lost in Queensland since late last week.

AAP

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/bushfire-emergency-queensland-nsw-wa-black-hawke-chases-arsonist-at-royal-national-park/news-story/6636633c69dfbfbcf71107b2990c7b66