NSW, Queensland bushfire emergency: Chopper crashes during waterbombing; Arsonists behind up to 12 blazes
A staggering 12 bushfires may have been deliberately lit during Tuesday’s ‘catastrophic’ conditions.
- ‘One way out’ at Noosa North
- Property toll tops 300
- ‘Leave now’ alert issued
- Qld residents warned
- New threat in NSW
- Premier ‘relieved’
NSW remained in a state of emergency on Wednesday, while warnings have been issued in Qld.
KEY LINKS: School closures in NSW and Qld | Fires near you in NSW | Fires near you in Queensland
READ MORE: The million-hectare blaze | After fires, issues to resolve | Days now weeks for exhausted heroes | Ill winds reignite menace | Military on call | ‘Obnoxious uncle’ Joyce under attack
Kieran Gair 9.18pm: 12 bushfires may be work of arsonists
NSW police believe a staggering 12 bushfires may have been deliberately lit by arsonists during Tuesday’s “catastrophic” fire conditions.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said arson wasn’t a “five-minute job” and any suspected firebugs were likely to have methodically planned out their crime.
Commissioner Smith also evoked Victoria’s devastating Black Saturday bushfires when quizzed about the challenges faced by officers trying to catch an arsonist.
“We learnt a lot from the Black Saturday bushfires,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“It’s methodical, tedious work but obviously there are several fires from yesterday that we are still looking at to determine if there is any suspicious behaviour.”
He pledged to “put people before a court” if officers determined arson was a factor behind any of Tuesday’s bushfires.
“We’re following up hundreds of incident reports from crime stoppers and we are still encouraging more.”
A crime scene has been established near scorched bushland at South Turramurra where police are investigating the origins of the fire to try and confirm if it was sparked by an arsonist.
It’s understood investigators today failed to identify a natural source of ignition at the site of the Turramurra blaze, fueling suspicions it may have been deliberately lit.
The South Turramurra fire was upgraded to emergency level shortly before 4pm on Tuesday after it came within metres of homes.
Large swathes of the leafy suburb on Sydney’s north shore were doused in pink flame retardant after fire crews raced to extinguish the fast-moving blaze with water bombing aircraft.
Commissioner Smith confirmed that there are “several fires” stretching from Lake Illawarra to Oxley for which police are working to determine the cause.
Authorities are also probing the circumstances around several suspicious fires at Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, at Berkeley near Wollongong, and at Moonbi near Tamworth.
The RFS also believes a fire in the Royal National Park at Loftus, south of Sydney, was suspicious.
Investigators detected multiple ignition points late on Tuesday and spent Wednesday combing through the dense bushland in a bid to confirm whether arson was the likely cause.
Meanwhile, two people have already been charged after allegedly impersonating firefighters.
A 19-year-old man was found allegedly dressed in an RFS uniform in the Royal National Park following the Loftus fires in Sydney’s south.
It’s understood the man was stopped by police after he was spotted riding a scooter in the Royal National Park, dressed as a firefighter.
He has since been charged with impersonating an emergency services officer and will face Sutherland Court on December 4.
Police officers at Lismore charged two men after they were found with emergency service paraphernalia including RFS uniform patches, documentation, equipment and helmets.
RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons was visibly upset by early reports indicating arson may have been the cause of a string of fires across the state on Tuesday.
“It’s awful, it angers every firefighter and angers everybody in the community,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
The Premier Gladys Berejiklian echoed Mr Fitzsimmons comments and pledged to come down hard on anyone caught deliberately lighting fires.
“If anyone is found to have deliberately contributed to or deliberately lit a fire yesterday the full force of the law will be brought down on them,” Ms Berejiklian said on Wednesday.
The punishment for arson in NSW can exceed 10 years in prison.
8.07pm: Anxious wait for Taree residents
Smoke has blanketed Taree on the NSW mid-north coast as major bushfires continue to burn and residents at the town’s packed evacuation centres wait anxiously for news on their homes.
The Hillville Road fire south of Taree, which has burnt through more than 22,000 hectares, briefly flared to emergency level again on Wednesday afternoon as winds pushed the fire towards Burrell Creek and Bo Bo Creek.
It has since dropped back to a “watch and act” alert.
At a staging point outside the Burrell Creek RFS headquarters, captain Greg Walker was warily watching the flames.
He’s been fighting the fire on and off for almost a week.
In his time off-shift he’s been at home preparing his house in case it comes in the path of the fire.
“I always thought I’d defend my home, but I’ve seen what this fire is doing,” he told AAP.
“I’d be out of here, my kids need me ... a defendable home isn’t really defendable at the moment.”
5.09pm: NSW fire upgraded to emergency level
A fire burning on the NSW’s mid coast has been upgraded to emergency level.
The RFS has warned people in Burrell Creek and Bo Bo Creek to seek shelter as the fire approaches in a north-westerly direction.
Emergency Warning: Hillville Road, Hillville (Mid-Coast LGA): Smoke from the Hillville fire is setting in Diamond Head. Call Triple Zero for unattended fires. #nswrfs #nswfires https://t.co/sfTe2PN3fO pic.twitter.com/kDqi5f31ev
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) November 13, 2019
Robyn Ironside 4.06pm: Waterbombing chopper crashes
A pilot has survived a helicopter crash while water bombing bushfires at Pechey west of Brisbane.
The chopper was working in the vicinity of Group Tree Road, when it was reported to have made a hard landing, just before 2pm.
A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman said critical care paramedics attended the scene and treated a man with non-life threatening injuries.
He has since been transported to Toowoomba Hospital in a stable condition.
A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesman said they were aware of a helicopter crashing during water bombing operations at the Pechey fire on Wednesday, but had no further details.
3.40pm: Winds pick up as more than 70 fires rage across Qld
Queensland firefighters are braced for a dangerous collision of weather systems as more than 70 fires continue to burn in the state. A
‘leave immediately’ warning remains in place for Noosa North Shore, an isolated community on the Sunshine Coast only accessible by boat. AAP reports: Locals are being told to use the local ferry to reach the mainland as waterbombers and ground crews battle the blaze.
There are ‘leave now’ warnings for nearby Kilkivan, at Woodgate, south of Bundaberg, and at Pechey near Toowoomba.
A large fire is still burning in difficult terrain near the five-star Spicers Peak Lodge on the Southern Downs.
That fire is now burning between containment lines and is not directly impacting properties.
Resort managers knew some days ago that fire would likely threaten the property, and began advising guests not to keep their bookings.
Only a couple of staff are still on-site.
Authorities are most concerned about the sheer size and number of fires burning in parched land that is difficult to access.
There are several fires west of the Gold Coast, including in the Scenic Rim, that officials are anxiously watching.
Mayor Greg Christensen fears another black day, two months on from the September fires that destroyed 11 homes and the historic Binna Burra Lodge in the hinterland and Scenic Rim.
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. Winds are already picking up and temperatures in some areas are expected to be 6-8 degrees above average.
“We’ve got really hot, we’ve got really dry, windy conditions,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Victoria Dodds said.
Conditions are expected to ease on Thursday, but temperatures are heating up further into the weekend.
3.30pm: ‘Catastrophic’ NSW threat remains
Millions of NSW residents are breathing a sigh of relief after a day of catastrophic fire danger passed without loss of life, but authorities are warning that strengthening winds mean properties are still at risk.
“We are starting to see conditions actually deteriorate, especially in the mid- north coast area,” RFS spokesman Inspector Ben Shepherd told ABC TV on Wednesday afternoon.
“As the winds warm up, there is a likelihood the fires will move once again and threaten properties. We’ve still got a long day ahead.”
The Rural Fire Service has confirmed at least 50 homes were damaged or destroyed on Tuesday.
RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons admits firefighters were “deflated” by the property losses on Tuesday.
At one point, 16 fires were simultaneously at “emergency” level, just shy of the record of 17 set on Friday.
Since then more than 300 homes have been severely damaged or destroyed. Three people have died.
NSW remains in a week-long state of emergency with some 3000 firefighters on hand to battle the 70-odd blazes still burning. Forty of them are uncontained with more than a dozen at “watch and act” alert level.
1.50pm: A blaze ‘like no other’
A central Queensland mayor says the bushfire that destroyed 13 homes in the past few days behaved like no blaze anyone in the region has ever seen before, AAP reports.
Livingstone Shire Council Mayor Bill Ludwig says containment lines at the Cobraball fire near Yeppoon are holding, but that the erratic fire is being fanned by increasing wind gusts and high temperatures.
“Nobody has seen a fire that has reacted like this – we’ve had bad fires before, but nothing that’s moved this quickly, this dramatically,” he told ABC news on Wednesday.
— AAP
1.30pm: View from the air
Noosa North Shore residents are being urged to leave the area immediately as a bushfire burns near the First Cutting. 14 homes have now been lost across Queensland in the state-wide emergency. #7NEWS https://t.co/HweXkJMqLe
— 7NEWS Sunshine Coast (@7NewsSC) November 13, 2019
1pm: Fire danger escalates
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) Acting Commissioner Mike Wassing said fire crews were battling multiple blazes across the state and all possible steps had to be taken to prevent further fires igniting.
A State of Fire Emergency has been declared across 42 Local Government Areas in Queensland.
“We’re experiencing tinder box-like conditions across much of the state and all it takes is one spark to start a fire that may burn for days,” Mr Wassing said.
“This declaration is vital to prevent bushfires breaking out and posing a danger to lives and property.
“The declaration also gives QFES the authority to draw on private resources, such as plant and equipment, to assist in firefighting or preparation.”
The declaration orders that anyone who finds a fire to take all measure to extinguish it and report it immediately. “Bushfire prevention is a community effort, so it is essential people report fires to triple-0 (000) immediately.”
The declaration will be in effect until amended or revoked.
12.30pm: ‘One way out’
Waterbombers are attacking a bushfire in an isolated Sunshine Coast community with residents who rely on boats for access ordered to get out.
A “leave now” warning has been issued for Noosa North Shore on the northern banks of the Noosa River.
Road access to the community is very limited and those in the south are dependent on ferry services to reach the mainland.
It’s the same area where three homes were destroyed by a fast moving fire in 2017.
The fire is burning in the vicinity of Beach Road and the First Cutting, and may impact the Wallaby Track area soon.
Locals have been told to get on the Noosa River Ferry while they still can. Resident Dave Wright is staying for now, but he’s got his own boats ready if he has to escape.
“The dinghies are in the water and primed to go,” he said. “It’s how we travel every day. We don’t be reckless,” the Noosa North Shore rural fire brigade member has told The Sunshine Coast Daily. “They are throwing everything at it.”
An evacuation centre has been established at the Noosa Leisure Centre on Wallace Drive.
Ground crews are also fighting the blaze, trying to capitalise on the work being done by aerial assets.
A State of Fire Emergency has been declared across 42 Local Government Areas in Queensland, following a period of significantly heightened fire weather conditions expected to continue into next week.
The State of Fire Emergency bans a range of activities that can cause fires to ignite and prohibits the lighting of specified outdoor fires.
— AAP
11.55am: Insurance claims roll in
More than $40 million in estimated insured losses have been claimed following the NSW bushfires with plenty more to come, according to the industry’s national peak body, AAP reports.
Insurance Council Australia spokesman Campbell Fuller said more than 360 claims had been made from catastrophe areas, including 80 properties that could be total losses.
Mr Fuller said the catastrophe declaration made by the ICA on Saturday meant every claim would be prioritised by insurers.
“Within that, they’ll also be triaged, so the customers with the most urgent needs will be the ones who receive the most direct assistance,” he said. “But to do that, customers need to lodge claims.
“It’s a small number of claims at the moment – we expect that claims will continue to flow through in the next few days or even weeks.”
Mr Fuller said he could not provide an estimated final number of claims. “We never make predictions, because every single natural disaster is different,” he said.
Mr Fuller advised policyholders affected by the bushfires to contact their insurers as soon as possible, even if the extent of damage was yet to be determined.
“If they know their home has been badly damaged, then the insurer is made aware of it and can work out how best to help them, because that’s what insurers try to do – lower or reduce the financial, physical and emotional distress that these property owners have experienced,” he said.
— AAP
11.30am: Evacuees play waiting game
Smoke has blanketed Taree on the NSW mid-north coast as major bushfires continue to burn and residents at the town’s packed evacuation centres wait anxiously for news on their homes, AAP reports.
A “watch and act” alert is in place for the Hillville Road fire south of Taree, which has burnt through almost 22,000 hectares.
An emergency warning was issued for the fire on Tuesday, with residents of Taree and surrounding towns spending the night waiting to see whether southerly winds pushed the fire closer to their homes.
As they waited, the fire sent blackened leaves floating onto the street. Both the Taree and nearby Wingham’s showgrounds are at full evacuee capacity, while families are setting up makeshift camps at an evacuation centre at Club Taree, with cars parked up to the gates.
The anticipation was the worst part of waiting, according to Tinonee resident Sharon Chamberlain.
“You just think, how long is your luck going to last?” Ms Chamberlain said as she fed her neighbours’ horses, left behind at the evacuation centre as their owners battled blazes.
“When you lock the door for the last time and you walk away, and you don’t know if it’s going to be there when you get back, that’s one of the hardest things.
“How much more are we expected to take?”
— AAP
11am: Aerial assault
Thanks so much for the support! #nswrfs #nswfires https://t.co/hDpGJ966UL
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) November 13, 2019
10.30am: Property toll exceeds 300
The NSW Rural Fire Service have confirmed at least 50 homes were damaged or destroyed on Tuesday, with RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons admitting firefighters were “deflated” by the losses.
A strong southerly front on Tuesday caused worsening conditions for firefighters battling “volatile” conditions in NSW, with high winds sparking 300 new fire fronts and destroying more properties.
“A lot of detailed work, a lot of building impact assessment teams will be getting out in and around these fire grounds, in these burnt-out areas, when it is safe to do so, trying to take stock of exactly what has been lost, where it’s been lost,” Mr Fitzsimmons told reporters on Wednesday.
“We will update people not just on what’s been lost, but, most importantly, critically importantly, for communities, the firefighters themselves, who feel so deflated, who feel such sadness and despair at seeing so much loss.”
Strong winds have pushed the fire at Hillville, in northern NSW near Taree, in a north-westerly direction along with blazes in other regions, as fires destroyed hundreds of thousands of hectares of bush.
No lives were lost on Tuesday, authorities say, and no one is missing. However three people have died since the fires ramped up on Friday and more than 300 homes have been destroyed since that time.
At one point, 16 fires were simultaneously at “emergency” level as Greater Sydney, Greater Hunter and Illawarra-Shoalhaven had the “catastrophic” rating.
There are currently 73 fires burning across NSW, 50 of which are uncontained. No fires as at 9am on Wednesday were at “emergency” alert level after the 150,000 hectare Liberation Trail fire near Coffs Harbour was downgraded to “watch and act” level, alongside 16 other fires.
Hundreds of trucks were out in the field, along with 80 aircraft. `
10am: ‘Leave now’ alert
Queensland firefighters are braced for a dangerous collision of weather systems as more than 60 fires continue to burn in the state, AAP reports.
A severe fire danger warning is in place for a large swathe of southern Queensland, with soaring temperatures and erratic weather conditions forecast for Wednesday.
Communities west of Brisbane and the Gold Coast are of major concern with a new fire front headed towards the five-star Spicers Peak Lodge at Maryvale on the Southern Downs.
A “leave now” warning is in place, with the fire service saying conditions are getting worse and the fire is likely to have an impact on the lodge.
Authorities are also concerned that erratic weather could fan the Cobraball fire near Yeppoon in central Queensland, which is only 70 per cent contained.
That fire claimed 13 of the 14 houses lost in Queensland since late last week. Winds are already picking up, with gusts of about 30km/h at some fire grounds. Gusts are expected to near 50km/h later in the day, with temperatures in some areas 6-8 degrees above average.
“Potentially we’ve got a weather condition where we could actually have three different weather fronts,” QFES assistant commissioner Tony Johnstone has told the ABC.
“We’ve got a cold air and a warm air and when the cold air and the warm air sort of mix we end up with three different wind directions, which can basically turn … the flank of a fire into a head fire pretty quickly.”
Large fires are also burning in rugged terrain in the Scenic Rim region, inland from the Gold Coast.
Mayor Greg Christensen fears another black day, two months on from September fires that destroyed 11 homes and the historic Binna Burra Lodge in the hinterland and Scenic Rim.
“It has the potential to be, absolutely, because of the severity of the conditions and the number of fire fronts. For me, it has that potential,” he told ABC radio.
A severe fire danger warning is in placed for the drought-stricken Darling Downs and Granite Belt, the Wide Bay and Burnett region, and the Southeast Coast taking in Brisbane and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts.
Fire authorities are comfortable with the resources Queensland has to deal with the day that lies ahead, including 40 aircraft.
But they say containment lines around major blazes will be tested with forecast changes in the weather, including dramatic wind shifts, high temperatures and a dramatic fall in humidity.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says Queenslanders must comply if authorities tell them to get out.
“Your safety is paramount,” she said on Tuesday.
Health officials have warned vulnerable people to stay indoors, with air quality expected to plunge again on Wednesday as smoke from the Queensland and NSW fires spreads.
— AAP
9.35am: Barnaby Joyce responds to furore
Nationals backbencher Barnaby Joyce has responded to criticism after suggesting two people who died in NSW bushfires “most likely” voted for the Greens, AAP reports.
Mr Joyce made the provocative comment while blaming the minor party for increasing the threat of bushfires.
He later clarified the remarks after drawing immediate backlash. “No matter which party an individual votes for, they do not deserve the tragedy that fell upon the Wytaliba bushfire victims,” Mr Joyce said in a statement on Tuesday night.
“Any suggestion that I said otherwise is a deliberate misinterpretation. Tragedies such as this transcend party politics.”
George Nole and Vivian Chaplain were both killed when a bushfire tore through their northern NSW town last Friday.
A terrifying fiery tornado ripped through Queensland as firefighters battled bushfires near Lake Mary.
— ABC News (@ABC) November 12, 2019
Authorities issued evacuation warnings and said that conditions could quickly worsen. https://t.co/sL9eU71h13 pic.twitter.com/o6txcUbtJp
Scott Morrison has urged all politicians to stop bickering over policies while bushfires continue to burn.
The prime minister said provocative comments made on all sides of the debate were ultimately meaningless to people losing their homes.
There are dozens of bushfires burning across NSW and Queensland, with more than 150 houses destroyed.
Mr Morrison said there would be time later to debate controversial issues, but stressed he was focused on assisting those on the ground.
The prime minister said people didn’t need to hear politicians shouting at each other.
“I think it’s important that at moments like this, everybody take it down a few notches,” Mr Morrison said on Tuesday evening.
“What matters is people who are in need and ensuring the operational support is there for the services they need to ensure that we can address this crisis.”
— AAP
9.20am:
9am: Fire fallout revealed
The area of the smoke over the Pacific Ocean is now larger than #Australia 🇦🇺. Image source: Japanese Himawari-8 #satellite, 12 Nov 2019 at 20:10 UTC time via @CIRA_CSU. #bushfires #NSWfires pic.twitter.com/UgUmfZXIE2
— Antti Lipponen (@anttilip) November 12, 2019
Emily Ritchie 8.45am: Surf legend’s ‘castle’ destroyed
World champion surfer Robert “Nat” Young has reportedly lost his home in the NSW bushfires.
Young owned a farm-style ranch an hour inland of Angourie near Nymboida where fire has devastated the local community over the past week.
“The whole place burnt right to the ground,” Young told surfing publication The Inertia.
“It’s not just a normal house, this was a castle,” he said of the ranch home he built himself from timber cut on the property.
Young’s 26-year-old son, Bryce, told him “a 30-foot high fireball came through and wiped out everything”.
The property has been in their family since 1974 and it was where Young raised three of his four children. Young also kept 35 breeding cattle on the property, all of which are understood to have perished in the bushfire.
Young said Bryce had been at the property assessing the damage and collecting any valuables and family heirlooms that could be salvaged.
“It’s hard to imagine,” Young said.
“If you’re not there you can’t imagine how dramatic and powerful nature can be when it’s out of control like that.”
Young is currently in the US promoting his latest book, Church of the Open Sky.
Yesterday was a day of exceptional fire danger. Sadly, it appears based on early reports, at least 50 homes have been damaged or destroyed in yesterday's fires. Despite the worst of conditions, there has been no loss of human life reported. Pic: Wolter Peeters #nswrfs #nswfires pic.twitter.com/Bijl8bag9g
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) November 12, 2019
Emily Ritchie 8.25am: The latest from Qld
A state of fire emergency has been declared for 42 council areas in Queensland as 61 fires continue to burn across the state, with a luxury resort and prison evacuated overnight ahead of worsening conditions.
A large portion of the state’s south faces severe fire danger on Wednesday, including the drought-stricken Darling Downs and Granite Belt, the Wide Bay and Burnett region, and the Southeast Coast taking in Brisbane and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts.
Major fires are burning west of Brisbane, including at Maryvale on the Southern Downs where a Watch and Act ‘leave now’ directive has been issued.
A five-star luxury resort, Spicers Peak Lodge, has been emptied as the fire approaches.
On Tuesday, inmates from the low-security Palen Creek Correctional Centre, about 100km southeast of the lodge, had to be moved to another prison.
ðŸ›°ï¸ Satellite imagery shows why air quality is expected to deteriorate today in #SEQ. Raised dust is currently pushing east over the #DarlingDowns and a S'ly change moving up the Northern NSW Coast will deliver smoke from the NSW fires. For health advice follow @qldhealthnews pic.twitter.com/RxjCKfP8mZ
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) November 12, 2019
Prepare to leave warnings are in place for many other blazes, but so far no other people have been ordered to flee.
Residents north of Rockhampton in the path of a raging bushfire have been warned to prepare to leave, with the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services warning the fire is continuing to travel from Cobraball, southwest of Yeppoon, towards Bungundarra, Maryvale and Lake Mary.
“The fire is expected to have a significant impact on the community,” the QFES said early on Wednesday.
A Watch and Act alert has been issued for residents at Adelaide Park, with the QFES warning conditions could worsen quickly.
QFES acting commissioner Mike Wassing said he was comfortable with the status of the state’s largest blazes but containment lines would be tested when the winds shift.
“In saying that, we’ve got resources ready for any new outbreaks – but if we get new fires, under these conditions, they can be very erratic,” he said.
Another primary area of concern is the Scenic Rim, west of the Gold Coast, where defence force personnel have been creating breaks around fires burning in remote terrain since September.
With AAP
Emily Ritchie 8am: Fireys reject star treatment claim
Actor Russell Crowe has confirmed via Twitter a bushfire hit his 400ha property northwest of Coffs Harbour on Tuesday, but says he and his family are safe.
In a tweet around 4am the actor said fire “hit my place late in the day yesterday”.
“My family are safe, billeted with friends,” he wrote about the Nana Glen property, sharing images of the blaze, which was the result of the many spot fires that threatened the area.
“My heart goes out to everyone in the valley,” he said.
I’m not in Australia.
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) November 12, 2019
My family are safe, billeted with friends.
Fire hit my place late in the day yesterday.
My heart goes out to everyone in the valley. pic.twitter.com/EsLKtDQM51
Lost a couple of buildings , but overall very lucky so far.
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) November 12, 2019
Chapel roof scorched.
Deepest thanks to everyone on the ground.
Some fires still burning and we are out of water.
No livestock deaths to date.
Horses ok.
Let the chickens out and they are back, warm worms for breakfast! pic.twitter.com/kaKJ351MXC
Meanwhile, a distraught neighbour of his property has claimed fire trucks drive straight past her home to instead save the actor’s property.
Debbie Waldon told Seven News through tears: “I’m angry because our friend’s house is there burning and all the trucks go to Russell Crowe’s. What about normal everyday people?”
Firefighters managed to save a home 2.5km from the actor’s house.
The NSW Rural Fire Service has denied claims the Gladiator star received preferential treatment, saying they never know whose home they are being sent to.
Emily Ritchie 7.45am: The latest from NSW
Up to 50 properties were lost in NSW bushfires on Tuesday and four people have been charged with breaching fire bans, and 83 blazes are still burning across the state on Wednesday.
With easing weather conditions, there are no fires burning at the highest emergency warning level, but 17 fires remain at a watch and act level – the greater clusters of them burning across the mid-north coast.
At this morning’s update from the NSW RFS headquarters, NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said there were 13 firefighters and eight members of the community who were injured during Tuesday’s fires, with many being treated for exhaustion onsite.
“What is most pleasing is that we have no people unaccounted for,” he said.
The full extent of the damage to property is yet to be assessed, but Commissioner Fitzsimmons said about 50 properties had been impacted – bringing the total number of properties lost from the last week’s fires to 200.
NSW Police Minister David Elliott slammed the breaches of the total fire ban during yesterday’s catastrophic fire danger in the Sydney area.
“What really disappoints me is the fact that four people yesterday were charged with breaching the total fire ban order. In addition to that, there was one minor who was given a caution,” Minister Elliott said.
“You must have arrived in Mars in a bubble if you didn’t know yesterday that the state was in severe danger, and the fact that we had people wanting to act outside the law, endanger their communities, really is quite offensive to the people of NSW.”
Emily Ritchie 7.30am: Premier admits ‘relief’
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged residents to remain vigilant as significant fires continue to burn across the state’s north today.
She said she was “hugely relieved” that no lives were lost.
“Whilst we’re not over the threat yet, we are certainly through what was yesterday catastrophic weather conditions coupled with a number of very high level emergency fires,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“I’m someone who believes in good planning, who believes in being prepared, who believes in not taking any risks or chances and that’s what was on display yesterday. Some might call it luck, I call it good planning and exceptional leadership. And I also call it exceptional courage and responsiveness from the community.”
Premier @GladysB receives a briefing on the current bush fire situation - “yesterday was an extraordinary team effort by the people of NSWâ€. #nswrfs #nswfires pic.twitter.com/lCTerL7c3J
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) November 12, 2019
7am: School closures in NSW
6.45am: Tickled pink by miracle from above
In the end, it all came down to a wing, a prayer … and a beautiful pink drenching for the Sydney suburb of South Turramurra. Read more here
6.30am: Strong winds bring new threat
A strong southerly front overnight has caused worsening conditions for firefighters battling “volatile” conditions in NSW, with high winds sparking 300 new fire fronts and destroying more properties, AAP reports.
Strong winds have pushed the fire at Hillville, in northern NSW near Taree, in a north-westerly direction, along with blazes in other regions, as fires destroyed hundreds of thousands of hectares of bush.
About a dozen homes were damaged or destroyed in fires on Tuesday, as parts of the state endured a “catastrophic” fire danger.
NSW remains in a state of emergency, with high temperatures, strong winds and very low humidity causing treacherous conditions for some 1500 firefighters battling blazes.
More than a million hectares of land has been consumed by bushfires, and authorities dealt with 300 new blazes on Tuesday alone.
Fortunately heavy smoke on Tuesday morning served as an “insulation blanket” to the strong winds moving across the Northern Tablelands so several fires did not flare up as much as feared, RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said. But he warned the challenge ahead remains “enormous”.
“All these fires … are still subject to the influence of this strong southerly change that’s moving across the fireground which will impact and influence fire behaviour, create volatile and potentially dangerous circumstances,” Mr Fitzsimmons told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday evening.
“The enormity of the task to bring these fires properly under control, to consolidate them, to get around them and mop them up is enormous.”
A number of firefighters were injured, but none are in a critical condition, and there were no people missing as of Tuesday night, he said. Injuries to firefighters throughout the day included fractures, heat exhaustion, fainting and collapse.
The bushfires, which hit hard on Friday, have claimed three lives and destroyed another 12 homes overnight, bringing the total number of properties destroyed to about 160, the Nine Network reported on Wednesday.
While conditions are expected to ease on Wednesday, Mr Fitzsimmons said a forecast for severe weather into the weekend and another burst of hot air next week means “we simply aren’t going to get the upper hand on all of these fires”.
The number of fires burning at emergency warning level had reduced to single figures by Tuesday night.
At one point during the afternoon, there were 15 emergency fires, close to Friday’s record of 17.
Firefighting efforts will be hampered as darkness falls because waterbombing aircraft can’t be used overnight, with reliance on firefighters on the ground.
Fire danger ratings have been reduced, with the highest being a severe rating in place for New England for Wednesday.
A statewide total fire ban remains in place.
Eighty aircraft were available on Tuesday to battle the blazes, Mr Fitzsimmons said.
Bureau of Meteorology state manager Ann Farrell says as the southerly change moves up NSW “the fires will be fanned in a different direction”.
A week-long state of emergency has been declared in NSW with the armed forces standing by to provide support, including for search and rescue operations.
Some 600 schools were closed although most are expected to reopen, apart from about 140 state schools – mainly in the north.
For travellers, all XPT services will be suspended until Wednesday evening, while Sydney to Brisbane services have been cancelled.
Express coaches will continue to operate from Casino to Wauchope, subject to road closures, while other buses will operate from Maitland to Scone, however, no coach service will operate for passengers between Taree and Sydney.
— AAP
6.15am: The million-hectare blaze
The biggest fire front in the nation’s history has burnt out a million hectares of land with authorities warning the battle could last months. Read more here
At 5:30am, 73 fires are burning across the state, 37 yet to be contained. Two fires are at Emergency Warning. Residents near active fires need to be aware of the potential for fire activity to increase under stronger winds today and a statewide Total Fire Ban is in place. #NSWRFS pic.twitter.com/5ZkBoOCWuh
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) November 12, 2019
6am: Fire risk set to worsen
Residents north of Rockhampton in the path of a raging bushfire have been warned to expect a serious impact as firefighters across Queensland prepare for a day of worsening conditions, AAP reports.
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) warns the fire is continuing to travel from Cobraball, southwest of Yeppoon, towards Bungundarra, Maryvale and Lake Mary.
“The fire is expected to have a significant impact on the community,” the QFES said early on Wednesday.
The fire in the Mount Lizard area is safely burning within containment lines and backburning operations have been completed nearby, with crews remaining at the scene throughout the day.
Meanwhile, a Watch and Act alert has been triggered for residents at Adelaide Park, with a warning people should be ready to leave the area because the situation could get worse quickly, the QFES said.
Firefighters battling more than 50 blazes across the state are hoping the containment lines will hold ahead of a testing wind change and deteriorating conditions.
The fire threat is set to intensify on Wednesday as a front brings strong winds and increased temperatures.
QFES acting commissioner Mike Wassing said he was comfortable with the status of the state’s largest blazes but containment lines would be tested when the winds shift.
“In saying that, we’ve got resources ready for any new outbreaks – but if we get new fires, under these conditions, they can be very erratic,” he said.
Another primary area of concern is the Scenic Rim, west of the Gold Coast, where defence force personnel have been creating breaks around fires burning in remote terrain since September.
Queenslanders have been warned to expect a return to poor air quality, with dust adding to the smoke haze.
The southeast coast including Brisbane and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts face severe fire danger.
That also applies to the drought-stricken Darling Downs and Granite Belt region west of Brisbane, which lost houses earlier this fire season.
— AAP
Additional reporting: AAP
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