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NSW Rural Fire Service

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Climate changed has increased the risk of Melbourne experiencing LA-type fires.

The home front: Could the Los Angeles fires happen in Australia?

Experts say it is only a matter of time until major Australian cities experience “house-to-house ignition” on a similar scale to Los Angeles.

  • Caitlin Fitzsimmons and Bianca Hall

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A fig tree in Hyde Park, Sydney CBD fell this evening, injuring two along Elizabeth St

Damaging winds uproot trees, down power lines across Sydney

Two women were taken to St Vincent’s Hospital after a large fig tree fell on them in Hyde Park.

  • Penry Buckley
Tim Chen (right) whose roof came off talks with neighbour Josh Yeo (left) whose property was impacted when the roof flew in to his home during last nights storms. Carlingford, NSW. January 16, 2025. Photo: Kate Geraghty

Tim and his family were watching TV. Then the deadly storm ripped off their roof

A Sydney man has recounted the terrifying moment the roof blew off his home as destructive weather lashed the city on Wednesday evening.

  • Sally Rawsthorne, Amber Schultz and Tom Housden
Concerns have been raised the Rural Fire Service’s Static Water Supply (SWS) has “ceased to be effective”.

As LA burnt, fire hydrants failed. In NSW, volunteers also face a water supply problem

The state’s Rural Fire Service has been warned a program to leverage private water supply during bushfires has “ceased to be effective”.

  • Max Maddison
The burning crash site of a Boeing 737-300 firefighting aircraft operated by Coulson Aviation in Western Australia in 2023.

‘Organisational failure’: Safety risks at aerial firefighting operator

The regulator found deficiencies at Coulson Aviation, which runs the NSW aerial firefighting fleet, after the crash of a water-bomber. The company says it has fixed the problems.

  • Ben Cubby
Bureau of Meteorology forecast map shows predicted heat in NSW on Friday.

Sydneysiders brace for hottest day of summer

A total fire ban is in place, with the city’s final scorcher for the year forecast for Friday. But a potential thunderstorm could dampen New Year’s Eve celebrations.

  • Cindy Yin
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Firefighters battle the petrol tanker crash at Medlow Bath in 1992.

New ‘forever chemical’ tests zero in on contamination source

Independent tests have linked PFAS contamination in the Blue Mountains to the site of a 1992 petrol tanker crash.

  • Ben Cubby and Carrie Fellner
The bushfire behind a retirement home in Cromer Heights, on Sydney’s northern beaches.

‘We are way behind’: Race against time to reduce fire risk in Sydney suburbs

Sydney’s northern beaches are having another smoky day as firefighters battle to keep a wild hazard reduction burn under control.

  • Angus Thomson
Water scientist Ian Wright takes a sample of PFAS-contaminated water in a sandstone canyon at Greaves Creek, below Medlow Dam.

‘White hot’: Cancer-linked chemicals flowing into dam at 50 times safe level

Independent tests near Medlow Dam in the Blue Mountains show contamination at far higher levels than the government has admitted.

  • Ben Cubby and Carrie Fellner
The Cascade dams at Katoomba supply drinking water to around 41,000 residents.

Blue Mountains dam shut after discovery of cancer-linked forever chemicals

Forever chemicals had been found at high levels in the dam which feeds into the drinking water supply to around 41,000 residents. Now authorities have stepped in.

  • Carrie Fellner

Original URL: https://www.watoday.com.au/topic/nsw-rural-fire-service-1mno