NSW, Queensland fires: authorities warn of worse to come, fire victims named
Authorities have issued a catastrophic fire danger warning for Sydney and the Hunter on Tuesday.
Welcome to The Weekend Australian’s live coverage of the bushfire emergency in NSW, Queensland and WA. So far three people are dead and more than 150 homes have been lost in NSW alone as authorities warn of worsening conditions into next week.
8.49pm: Firefighters injured in NSW
Two firefighters are reported to have been injured, one seriously, when a charred tree fell on their truck near Nambucca Heads late on Sunday, adding to the toll of emergency personnel.
A Queensland firefighter sustained a broken leg, while others have been treated for burns, smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion.
8.26pm: States brace for perilous fire conditions
Sydney is facinga “catastrophic” fire threat, authorities said on Sunday, as firefighters in eastern Australia raced to prepare for worsening conditionsafter ferocious bushfires devastated communities.
Fires have killed three people and razed more than 150 homes since Friday, but cooler weather overnight provided a welcomereprieve for firefighters and residents.
Authorities were assessing the damage on Sunday, with more than 100 fires still burning across New South Wales and Queensland, including several blazes that remained out of control.
Wider swathes of the states - including greater Sydney - are now bracing for perilous fire conditions predicted for thecoming days, as is Western Australia state.
It is the first time Sydney has been warned of a “catastrophic” fire danger, the highest possible level, since the grading system was introduced in 2009.
4.55pm: Catastrophic fire warning for Sydney
The NSW RFS has issued a catastrophic fire danger warning for greater Sydney and the Hunter region on Tuesday.
CATASTROPHIC FIRE DANGER - Catastrophic fire danger now forecast for Greater Sydney and Greater Hunter areas on Tuesday. Large areas of state expected to see Severe or Extreme fire danger. Know what to do to reduce your risk. https://t.co/aWqC6QoZxA #nswrfs #nswfires #alert pic.twitter.com/YLEcnu8x6f
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) November 10, 2019
Authorities have spoken throughout the day about the need for residents in non-fire affected areas of NSW to prepare for an escalation in danger next week, when high temperatures moving in from the west will combine with strong winds to create life-threatening fire conditions.
“We’re not out of this yet,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, after being briefed by the NSW RFS on Sunday. “There is a long way to go and Tuesday is looking more difficult.”
4.45pm: Greens leader compares bushfires to US gun debate
Greens Leader Richard Di Natale says while he is saddened by the loss of life from bushfires in NSW and Queensland, “thoughts and sympathies are not enough”.
Dr Di Natale said for decades it has been known that burning climate changing fossil fuels would lead to more frequent and intense bushfires. “Yet with Queensland and New South Wales burning, the Coalition government refuses to acknowledge this scientific reality and instead wants to use taxpayer dollars to fund new coal-fired power stations.” he said in a statement on Sunday.
“Every politician, lobbyist, pundit and journalist who has fought to block serious action on climate change bears responsibility for the increasing risk from a heating planet that is producing these deadly bushfires.” His climate change spokesman Adam Bandt made similar comments on Saturday, drawing a scathing attack from Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals Leader Michael McCormack, saying it was “despicable”.
Mr Bandt had said the Prime Minister bore some responsibility for the bushfires. A fired-up Mr McCormack said people who have either lost or are about to lose their home, don’t need to hear politicians coming out and starting to play the blame game.
“Adam Bandt should start thinking very much about that before he makes such stupid and absolute callous comments like that,” he told reporters after being briefed on the bushfires in Queensland at the Fire and Emergency Services Deployment Centre in Warana on Sunday.
“Comments coming from a little Melbourne apartment from a little individual with a little mind should not be accepted or tolerated at this time.” But Dr Di Natale compared that sort of response to one frequently made by the US gun lobby.
“Just as lobbyists for the US gun industry trot out calls of ‘too soon’ after every mass shooting, so too are the pro-coal advocates attacking anyone who dares connect these fires to the climate crisis,” he said.
“But to be silent now is to endanger the lives of Australians.”
- AAP
3.10pm: Greens MP ‘a little individual with a little mind’
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has attacked Greens MP Adam Bandt for comments he had made on Saturday when he said Prime Minister Scott Morrison bore some responsibility for the bushfires because of what he perceived as a lack of climate change policy.
“Comments coming from a little Melbourne apartment from a little individual with a little mind should not be accepted or tolerated at this time,” Mr McCormack told reporters.
He and Natural Disaster and Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud had just been briefed on the bushfires in Queensland at the Fire and Emergency Services Deployment Centre in Warana.
Earlier, Mr Morrison was heckled by a climate change protester during his briefing with emergency services at the Mid-North Coast Fire Control Centre in Wauchope, NSW.
“Climate change is real, can’t you see,” the man yelled, before being escorted out of the building.
2.30pm: Labor calls for parliament suspension over fires
NSW Labor is calling for the upcoming week of state parliament be suspended so politicians can be with the communities they represent while they battle devastating bushfires.
Manager of opposition business Ryan Park on Sunday wrote to Speaker Jonathan O’Dea to ask that the reserve week instead be used to finalise any legislation.
“The communities impacted by this horrific situation need all the support they can get andwe are of the firm view that elected Members can help their constituents better by being in their electorate,” Mr Park said in a statement. “Members need to be there for the community the next week when the full extent of the damage caused will becomemore evident.”
Mr Park said the situation was unprecedented and Labor believed parliament shouldn’t sit next week as a result.
Firefighters working to protect properties from Bills Crossing Fire at Johns River near Crowdy Bay. Fire activity is increasing as the winds pick up. Vid: @9NewsSyd pic.twitter.com/YNGpMuHw9K
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) November 10, 2019
- AAP
Robyn Ironside 1pm: State of fire emergency a Queensland first
More than 50 bushfires are active throughout Queensland, many in places that have previously never experienced severe fires.
Although no lives have been lost, up to 16 homes and sheds have been destroyed at Cobraball in central Queensland and dozens of people remain in evacuation centres on the Sunshine Coast, and at Yeppoon.
A state of fire emergency has been declared for the first time in Queensland history, and a total fire ban imposed on 42 council areas.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said although conditions had improved on Sunday, the fire danger would persist for the week ahead, with “Wednesday being a very serious day”.
“This has been a big task and as we know, Queensland does not usually have a fire season like we’ve experienced this year and last year,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“We’ve had a briefing from the Bureau of Meteorology as well and we’re not expecting much rainfall until December and on to next year.”
Acting Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner, Mike Wassing said the fires west of Yeppoon were the main focus of firefighting efforts after two bushfires joined together.
Fires in the Scenic Rim were also a concern and were expected to flare up mid-week when conditions worsened, he said.
“It is super dry, and that means areas that would not normally burn will burn, and that’s what we’re currently experiencing,” Mr Wassing said.
“We’ve got a long haul ahead.”
He said the total fire bans in 42 regions prohibited any outdoor fires being lit, including campfires, as well a ban on activities that could spark a bushfire such as welding, grinding and the use of oxy acetylene cutting and fireworks.
State Disaster Coordinator Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewksi said police would actively monitor activities in those areas where total fire bans applied.
“Some of these fires (currently burning) are under investigation and we always try to find out what causes these fires,” said Dep Commissioner Gollschewski.
“The key message to the community is to stay safe, and follow the directions given to them.”
Ms Palaszczuk said the 45 people in community centre from Noosa’s North Shore and Lake Cooroibah were expected to be given the all clear to return home today.
Another 29 people remained in evacuation centres at Yeppoon.
12.20pm: PM heckled by climate protester during fire briefing
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been heckled by a climate change protester while receiving a briefing on the bushfire emergency in NSW.
Mr Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian were told first hand about the difficulties firefighters are facing in the north of the state during a visit to the fire-affected region on Sunday.
They received a briefing on the unprecedented firestorms at the Mid-North Coast Fire Control Centre in Wauchope, where they were told firefighters have found it hard to contain and access some fire areas.
“Climate change is real, can’t you see,” the man yelled, before being escorted out of the building.
Natural Disaster and Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud warned the fires in NSW and Queensland could get worse on Tuesday.
“We cannot take this for granted, this a very, very frightening circumstance that people have to take seriously,” Mr Littleproud told Sky News on Sunday.
The military has been called in to bring firefighters from interstate to help in NSW and Queensland, and are also being asked to help with catering, accommodation and some backburning.
Labor Leader Anthony Albanese said he had called Mr Morrison and offered to accompany him to the fire zone, but was told the Prime Minister had not planned to visit.
“One of the things that we should ensure, though, is that politicians don’t get in the way of the work that has to be done,” Mr Albanese told the ABC.
- AAP
12.05pm: Third victim identified
A woman who was found dead in a burnt out house near Taree has been identified as 63 year-old Johns River woman Julie Fletcher.
A neighbour told the Sunday Telegraph Ms Fletcher, who raised Angus cattle on the property, had texted her to say she was packing to leave as the Crowdy Bay bushfire approached about 9.30pm on Friday.
“She was putting her things in the car and getting ready to go,” neighbour Diny Khan, 63, is quoted as saying.
“The fire was so intense, it hit quickly and it was hard to tell where it was coming from.
“She obviously never made it out – what a horrible way to go.”
Ms Fletcher is the third confirmed death as a result of the bushfire emergency in NSW.
Vivian Chaplain, 69, and George Nole were both killed in a fire that tore through the community of Wytaliba, outside of Glen Innes.
Olivia Caisley 10.55am: PM arrives in fire zone
Scott Morrison has met with NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian at the Fire Control Centre at Wauchope on the mid north coast.
During the fire briefing they were told the scenario faced by firefighters was “unprecedented” with conditions expected to worsen over the next 48 hours.
The Prime Minister and Ms Berejiklian will hold a press conference at midday.
10.55am: Hillville survival stories emerge
As Jo Vakaahi stood on her roof with a hose as a ferocious bushfire barrelled towards her home, her frightened dog accidentally knocked the ladder over leaving her trapped.
An emergency warning was in place on Saturday for the Hillville bushfire south of Taree, which threatened a number of townsincluding Old Bar, Wallabi Point and South Taree.
As people evacuated from Old Bar on Friday night Ms Vakaahi stayed to defend her home.
“On Friday night I went out the back to let my dog out and there was this glow of fires coming, I just hosed down the house,” Ms Vakaahi said on Sunday. “I must have dozed off on the lounge and I woke up on Saturday morning and it was right there.”
With the savage bushfire just 500 metres away, Ms Vakaahi said she climbed up onto the roof with a hose and a wet tea towelwrapped around her head, in a desperate bid to do what she could to save her home.
“The smoke was just debilitating, really thick and black and it was hard to breathe,” she said.
“It’s all still and eerie, there’s no birds around ... I was really scared.”
It was in that moment, Ms Vakaahi said her dog, in an attempt to be close to her, knocked down the ladder leaving her stuck on the roof and faced with the possibility of having to jump down, which could leave her injured and unable to flee.
Fortunately, neighbours came to her rescue and after an anxious night the fire has now been downgraded to a watch and act.
“It’s the tiredness that gets you, you want to sleep but you can’t relax because you don’t know what’s going to happen,” MsVakaahi said.
– AAP
Olivia Caisley 10am: Plan for worse now: Minister
Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud has urged people living in the eastern parts of NSW to plan ahead and brace themselves for unprecedented fire conditions on Tuesday as ferocious bushfires continue to rage across the state.
Speaking on Sky News on Sunday Mr Littleproud said the state shouldn’t take the risk lightly, even in metropolitan areas.
Tuesday 12 November will be a dangerous day.
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) November 9, 2019
Widespread areas of Severe and Extreme fire danger.
With so many fires already burning, homes and lives will be at risk.
If you are threatened by fire, you may not get help.
Start taking action now.https://t.co/RQyA5UiGJX #nswrfs pic.twitter.com/8fRpurJzrx
“We cannot take this for granted, it’s a very, very frightening circumstance that people have to take seriously,” Mr Littleproud said. “They have to plan now. If they plan at a local level, at a household level that flows through to a community level and that flows through to a national level. That keeps people safe.”
He said the current death toll of three people “could have been a lot worse” had emergency services not begun preparing for the bushfire season many months ago.
Temperatures in the mid to high thirties are forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday next week and meteorologists say conditions may be more extreme than those experienced on Friday, when an unprecedented 17 emergency fire warning were issued across NSW.
Extreme fire danger warnings are expected to extend as far south as Sydney on Tuesday.
NSW RFS Deputy Hunter Commissioner Rob Rogers said areas that were not currently fire affected — the Hunter Valley, the Illawarra, central west and the greater Sydney area — would need to prepare for challenging conditions and the possibility of fire.
Smoke haze from fires in the North East of #NSW are travelling across the Tasman Sea & over the Pacific Ocean. High to Very High fire danger in the North East of #NSW today. For the latest updates visit https://t.co/SPHgGeisGZ & #NSWRFS pic.twitter.com/rXIUdDGYd8
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) November 9, 2019
9.20am: Fire victim ‘wanted to stay and defend his house’
More detail has emerged overnight about the deaths of three people in bushfires in NSW.
Grandmother Vivian Chaplain, 69, died in Concord Hospital on Saturday after a neighbour found her on Friday night with burns to more than 40 per cent of her body, suffered while she desperately tried to save her home and pets in Wytaliba, north west of Coffs Harbour.
“She was a strong woman who died protecting the home and animals she loved,” daughter-in-law Chrystal Harwood told the ABC.
“She was stuck and we couldn’t get to her.”
Nearby, the body of George Nole was later found in a burnt-out car by firefighters on Saturday morning.
Glen Innes Mayor Carol Sparks said a relative of hers, who had since been hospitalised with fire-related injuries, had tried to help Mr Nole.
“He wanted to stay and defend his house,” Cr Sparks told the ABC. “He turned around and the fire just overran him.
“The fire was over 20-foot (6 metres) and raging, so there was no time to really do anything other than to try to save your life.”
Last night a third person was confirmed dead in a fire at Taree. The woman’s body had been found inside a burnt out property in the township of Johns River.
The Daily Telegraph reports the home belongs to a 63-year-old woman, but authorities have not formally identified the victim.
9am: Cooroibah fire continues to rage
A massive bushfire that burned down a house and forced thousands to fleet heir homes continues to rage on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
Fifty-five fires were burning in the state on Sunday morning, including the huge fire at Cooroibah, north of Noosa, where an emergency zone remains. One house has been lost at Cooroibah along with three sheds. A firefighter has suffered a broken leg but no lives have been lost or other injuries reported.
The winds and hot and dry conditions that have stoked blazes are set to continue on Sunday, ease on Monday, and worsen onTuesday, challenging crews and people battling to save their homes.
Two other dangerous fires continue at Cobraball and Bungundarra, north of Rockhampton, where residents sought shelter overnightas it was too dangerous to leave.
A significant fire burning in the Cooroibah and Ringtail Creek areas remains at emergency level. The 2000 residents who have been evacuated are being urged not to return home because conditions could worsen today. https://t.co/dI96rUmS8s @EmArnold_7 #QLDfires #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/4YtmQ2hrp7
— 7NEWS Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) November 9, 2019
8.30am: ‘We have lost everything’
Desperate acts of survival have emerged from the small NSW town of Bobin, where homes and parts of the public school have been reduced to rubble. The community, north of Taree, bore the brunt of a massive blaze on Friday afternoon that gave residents just minutes to pack up and leave.
David Thies was trying to save a nearby home when his wife Margaret noticed a grassfire cross their street and engulf their next-door neighbour’s home. Within 20 minutes, the fire would also devour the Thies’s home and shed, giving the elderly couple barely enough time to escape with their dogs, a few possessions and the clothes on their back.
The Thies’s joined other families at a safe house outside town. “There was no time to grab any bags she had packed,” granddaughter Shina Nixon said.
“They all stayed awake in turns just staying alert for more danger.
“We didn’t hear from them in over 24 hours; it was sucha horrible night not knowing and listening to the RFS scanner.”
Video from the town on the edge of the Tapin Tops National Park shows smouldering houses, including the Thies’s, and the severely damaged public school.
Locals granted access to their homes reported that only the school’s library and hall had survived.
“(We) are safe but we have lost everything this afternoon,” local Paul Miscamble posted on a Bobin Facebook group.
Bree Parker said the whole community was devastated by the losses. “But we are grateful for who we have in our lives and what has been saved,” she said.
Crews remained in the Bobin area on Saturday night protecting properties, with the Tapin Tops blaze listed as watch and act.
It has burned more than 14,000 hectares.
– AAP
8am: Relief payments immediately available
The federal government has announced that immediate financial support will be made available to those hit by devastating bushfires in northern NSW.
The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment and the Disaster Recovery Allowance have been activated to provide that assistance.
This shows the dangerous conditions that have confronted firefighters and residents today. This is the crew from Warringah HQ at the Hillville fire near Taree. #nswrfs #nswfires pic.twitter.com/lIhnF8P1Qf
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) November 8, 2019
Natural Disaster and Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud said on Sunday the Disaster Recovery Payment would immediatel yput cash into the pockets of those in need.
“This provides $1000 for eligible adults and $400 for eligible children,” he said in a statement.
“The payment is available to people whose homes has been severely damaged or destroyed, who have been seriously injured or who have lost a family member in the fires.
“This is cash in the hand to give families dignity and help them recover from the fires,” Mr Littleproud said.
Three deaths have already been confirmed in the NSW fires and there are fears this number could rise.
At least 150 homes have been destroyed by the fires although this number is likely to climb as detailed assessments begin.
The recovery payment is available in the Glen Innes Severn, Kempsey, Mid Coast, Nambucca, Port Macquarie-Hastings and Walchalocal government areas. The government has also activated the Disaster Recovery Allowance providing 13 weeks income support for people who have lost their income as a direct result of the fires.
At 6:15, 72 fires across NSW, 36 not under control. 11 fires remain at Watch and Act.
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) November 9, 2019
Crews took advantage of easing conditions overnight conducting backburns to protect properties. They will continue to establish containment lines ahead of worsening conditions on Tuesday #nswrfs pic.twitter.com/QCTatyl76U
The allowance is available in Coffs Harbour, Kempsey, Mid-Coast, Nambucca and Port Macquarie-Hastings local council areas.
“These fires have taken lives, destroyed homes and devastated local communities. “We are committed to helping communities recover by making sure they have the support they need,” Mr Littlepround said.
Both payments are available from midday on Sunday.
– AAP
7.30am: NSW counts the losses
NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says assessment teams are bracing themselves for “considerable losses”.
“There are communities and fire grounds where we are expecting to tally up considerable losses of homes and other properties,” he said. “A number of our own fire stations have been destroyed.”
At least 150 homes have been destroyed by the fires although this number is likely to climb as detailed assessments begin.
Mr Fitzsimmons said other important community assets had also been lost in the fires.
“We’re talking about schools being destroyed, we’re talking about community halls, bridges, power poles,” he said.
“All of those sorts of things – they get consumed in the path of a volatile fast-moving fire.” Fire assessment teams would comb through devastated areas over the coming days, Mr Fitzsimmons said.
“The more forensic process of getting in and doing the detailed assessments will come over coming days.
“Clearly, from what we are seeing, and we do not have indicative assessments from all these fire grounds yet, but estimates are at least 150.”
– AAP
7am: A quick recap of the situation in NSW on Sunday:
– Seventy-two fires are currently burning across NSW, 36 are still not under control
– Five people remain unaccounted for
– Eleven fires remain at watch and act level
A NSW RFS spokesman said emergency services had received 2,541 triple-0 calls for help, compared to about 200 calls on average for this time of year.
More land has been burnt in NSW than during last year’s entire fire season.
“So that gives you and idea of what’s going on across the state. It’s definitely trying conditions,” he said.
6.45am: Worse to come, forecasters warn
Meteorologists and fire authorities are warning of worse conditions to come next week, with extreme fire danger predicted along the east coast as far south as Sydney on Tuesday.
Hot weather in the west — where very high temperatures have contributed to an unfolding fire emergency in WA — is set to move across Australia to the east by early next week. A forecast change in wind direction is also expected to cause havoc.
“This is just as dangerous if not more dangerous than what we saw on Friday,” meteorologist Rob Sharpe told Sky News on Sunday.
READ MORE: ‘Like a war’: township in ruins as wall of flames hits | Three dead in ‘hell on Earth’
QFES spokesman Neil Frances said emergency workers in Queensland, where 50 fires burned across the state on Saturday, were already making preparations for intensifying conditions next week.
“We have the risk of new fires (but) we’re already heavily committed,” NSW RFS Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers told Sky News on Sunday.
“This is the time people need to take some responsibility … Think about where you are going to be, don’t put yourself in harm’s way.”
“Don’t expect that there’s going to be a fire truck coming to your home if it’s threatened… we do not have enough trucks to cover every single possibility†- NSW Rural Fire Service Deputy Commissioner. #9News pic.twitter.com/eBVWHSqskb
— Nine News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) November 9, 2019
6.30am: Queensland residents in limbo
Fire conditions that have stoked dozens of blazes across Queensland are set to continue, challenging crews and leaving evacuated residents in limbo. A state of fire emergency was declared on Saturday in 42 local government areas, prohibiting all outdoor fires and activities such as welding that can spark fires.
“We’re experiencing tinderbox like conditions across much of the state and all it takes is one spark to start a fire that may burn for days,” Fire and Emergency Services Acting Commissioner Mike Wassing said in a statement. Forecasters say very high risk conditions are expected across northern and eastern Queensland before easing on Monday.
Hot temperatures and increased fire danger are forecast to return on Tuesday, particularly in the state’s south.
Fifty fires burned across the state on Saturday, with 275 firefighting vehicles on the ground and 20 waterbombing aircraft deployed or standing by. The most significant blazes were in the Gold Coast hinterland and further north on the Sunshine Coast.
Up to 9000 people are estimated to have been evacuated from suburbs at the northern end of Noosa.
Crews there have been challenged by a fire burning in different directions in parts of Cooroibah, Ringtail Creek, Tewantin, Noosa Banks and Noosa North Shore. Residents who had stayed on Friday were told to get out on Saturday. They were also told to evacuate from a bushfire at Tarome in the Scenic Rim west of the Gold Coast, as well as a grass fire at Cobraball, southwestof Yeppoon and at Thornton in the Lockyer Valley.
Authorities say swathes of bushland parched by drought increase the risk of fires breaking out.
Almost 100,000 hectares and 19 homes have been destroyed in Queensland since the start of September, with 2000 bushfires burning since then.
– AAP
6am: Catastrophic fire conditions for WA
Fires would be extremely difficult to control if they spark in parts of regionalWA, where the mercury is forecast to climb to about 40C.
Catastrophic fire conditions are forecast on Sunday for the Esperance-Goldfields and eastern Wheatbelt regions.
Extreme conditions are also expected for the Eucla, inland and coastal areas of Ravensthorpe, and west into southern parts of the Wheatbelt. Under that rating, fire would be uncontrollable, unpredictable and fast-moving. The Bureau of Meteorologysays hot air will be moving eastwards throughout the day.
Most of the state’s southwest will also face the possibility of thunderstorms, with the risk of fires being sparked by lightning.
The conditions come after emergency warnings were declared and later eased for two fires on Saturday.
A blaze broke out in Cataby, 170km north of Perth, at 2.45pm and was brought under control about 90 minutes later.
An emergency warning was issued for parts of the northern Perth suburb of Gnangara about 12.50pm before the fire was containedand the warning downgraded. Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said the risk posed by high temperatureson the weekend was compounded by the risk of “dry lightning”, which could spark blazes, and strong winds.
“Those strong winds are the reasons the fire danger gets elevated because of the challenges we have controlling fires in theseconditions,” he told reporters on Saturday.
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