This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/dec/02/queensland-bushfires-heatwave-dry-lightning-and-cyclone-threaten-state

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Queensland bushfires: heatwave, dry lightning and cyclone threaten state Queensland bushfires: heatwave spreads south as dry storms and cyclone threaten state
(about 2 hours later)
Queensland firefighters are gearing up for more volatile fire conditions, with severe dry weather and dry storms again crossing the state. Queensland’s severe heatwave has spread south as the state’s bushfire crisis enters its second week and firefighters gear up for another day of volatile fire conditions.
Authorities said it will be days before the conditions ease, with a forecast of dry lightning increasing the chance of more bushfires which have claimed one life. More than 100 fires continued to burn across the state, with temperatures forecast to soar over 40Cs in many inland districts on Sunday.
A developing cyclone off the north-east coast has also has been forecast to approach the embattled state, adding to the growing list of weather events. Bushfires at Deepwater and Eungella in central Queensland, as well as at Carnarvon in the south-west and on North Stradbroke Island, near Brisbane, remained the most concerning.
The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service deputy commissioner, Mike Wassing, said crews took advantage of a slight easing of conditions on Saturday to consolidate containment lines, but hotter, drier weather was forecast to return. The Bureau of Meteorology said increased wind conditions combined with the hot and dry conditions had pushed the fire rating back to severe.
“We’re expecting again erratic fire behaviour as a result of that,” he said. “Local communities and our local firefighters are saying we just have never seen these sorts of conditions before, where fire burns like this, so hot, so fast and with such intensity ... this is very new for Queensland.” “This exceptional heat and fire event just keeps continuing, the records are just too numerous to mention,” meteorologist Bruce Gunn said.
The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, visited the command centre at Finch Hatton, west of Mackay, on Saturday, and urged communities to prepare for worsening conditions. “There is still some days to go until we some relief ... there is no significant rain on the horizon especially in central Queensland before Tuesday.”
“Tomorrow we again will be facing a heatwave. It will impact right across the state,” she said. “We have the strong winds that pick up in the afternoon. We want to make sure people get accurate information as quickly as possible.” Forecast thunderstorms for Sunday would not produce rain but were expected to start more fires due to “dry lightning”, Gunn said.
The acting prime minister, Michael McCormack, toured the Miriam Vale evacuation centre near Gladstone, praising the efforts of locals. It came as a tropical low off the state’s north-east coast with a chance of becoming a cyclone headed south-west towards Cairns, Gunn said.
“They are the worst of times, but we are seeing the very, very best of people,” he said. The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service commissioner Katarina Carroll said “concerning” days lay ahead for Queensland.
“We’re not out of the woods ... it is a moving feast, the change of the winds present those challenges and the heatwave, and when you put all of this together it is a difficult concoction to deal with,” she said.
More than 400 interstate firefighters were battling the bushfires with the help of 20 aircraft.
The bushfire crisis saw its first loss of life on Friday night, with the death of a 21-year-old man at Rolleston, south of Emerald. He was using a chainsaw to cut down a tree for a firebreak when the tree fell on him.The bushfire crisis saw its first loss of life on Friday night, with the death of a 21-year-old man at Rolleston, south of Emerald. He was using a chainsaw to cut down a tree for a firebreak when the tree fell on him.
The biggest fires of concern remain at Deepwater and Eungella in central Queensland, as well as Carnarvon in the south-west.
On Sunday, the prime minister, Scott Morrison, urged people in Queensland to look out for each other.On Sunday, the prime minister, Scott Morrison, urged people in Queensland to look out for each other.
The prime minister had been monitoring the fires from the G20 meeting in Argentina ahead of his return to Australia on Monday morning. Morrison had been monitoring the fires from the G20 meeting in Argentina ahead of his return to Australia on Monday morning.
“Despite the very sad loss of one young man, a 21-year-old man who died while clearing a fire break west of Rockhampton, so far I think the efforts have been extraordinary,” Morrison told reporters in Buenos Aires on Saturday local time.“Despite the very sad loss of one young man, a 21-year-old man who died while clearing a fire break west of Rockhampton, so far I think the efforts have been extraordinary,” Morrison told reporters in Buenos Aires on Saturday local time.
“People’s lives have been very significantly disrupted by the evacuations and other actions that have had to be taken.“People’s lives have been very significantly disrupted by the evacuations and other actions that have had to be taken.
“We’d ask for your patience, not just while the fires are burning, but for the many, many, many days ahead, as there will be the clean-up work and the restoration that will have to follow.“We’d ask for your patience, not just while the fires are burning, but for the many, many, many days ahead, as there will be the clean-up work and the restoration that will have to follow.
“We’re still expecting many more days of very difficult conditions in all of these areas,” Morrison said.“We’re still expecting many more days of very difficult conditions in all of these areas,” Morrison said.
“Just remember to look out for each other, particularly in these heatwave conditions that may not result in fire directly. There is a need to ensure we’re keeping an eye on each other.”“Just remember to look out for each other, particularly in these heatwave conditions that may not result in fire directly. There is a need to ensure we’re keeping an eye on each other.”
BushfiresBushfires
QueenslandQueensland
WildfiresWildfires
Natural disasters and extreme weatherNatural disasters and extreme weather
Australia weatherAustralia weather
Scott MorrisonScott Morrison
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on Google+Share on Google+
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content