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NSW and Qld fires: nine emergency warnings issued for out-of-control bushfires – live NSW and Qld fires: 10 emergency warnings issued for out-of-control bushfires – live
(32 minutes later)
New South Wales residents prepare for catastrophic fire conditions across Greater Sydney, Hunter and Illawarra/Shoalhaven with strong winds and high temperatures forecast as dozens of bushfires continue to burn across both Queensland and NSWNew South Wales residents prepare for catastrophic fire conditions across Greater Sydney, Hunter and Illawarra/Shoalhaven with strong winds and high temperatures forecast as dozens of bushfires continue to burn across both Queensland and NSW
A before and after of Gemma Plesman’s home:
“We had four houses on the property,” Gemma Plesman says.
“Three were burnt completely. My mum and two of my aunties lost their homes. It’s really horrific, they’re completely gone.”
Plesman is from Brisbane but grew up in Nymboida, a rural town in northern NSW, about 45 minutes from Grafton. Over the weekend, fire tore through the rural property, which Plesman’s mother and her mother’s siblings had purchased four decades ago.
Three of the four houses they had built on the land were completely destroyed. The remaining house was partially burnt.
“The heartbreaking thing – everybody has built them themselves,” Plesman says. “They’re not your typical kit house.
“Mudbricks they made by hand. Beautiful rocks they’d picked up at the creek and put into the walls. That’s all gone.”
Plesman says along the same stretch of road, several of her friends had lost their homes as well.
“It’s like a wasteland. It’s completely desolate. I struggle to imagine what’s happened to all the animals and birds,” she says.
An emergency warning for Wine Country Drive, in North Rothbury.
This brings the total number of emergency warnings back up to 10.
The climate rally outside NSW Parliament house earlier today has raised $4,500 for the Rural Fire Service. The rally called on the government to take action on the climate crisis, and to better fund emergency services.
The Whans Road fire has been downgraded from emergency to watch and act.
“The fire has been downgraded due to improved conditions,” the Rural Fire Service said. “Residents in the area should continue to monitor the conditions and take advice from firefighters on the ground.”
This means there are now only nine emergency warnings currently in NSW.
The latest highest wind speeds, from the Bureau of Meteorology.
Nowra has experienced a top wind speed of 90km/h and Moss Vale 85km/h.
Maitland airport is at 70km/h winds, Cessnock at 63km/h and Gosford at 61km/h.
Coffs Harbour airport has recorded 54km/h, Glen Innes airport 63km/h and Taree airport 48km/h.
In Sydney, Penrith has experienced 70km/h gusts.
A 10th emergency warning for NSW. The Rumba Dump fire – burning in the area of Elands, Bobin and Marlee.
The fire is near the Hillsville Road fire, which is also at emergency level.
“If you are in the area of Elands, Bobin, Marlee and areas north-west of Wingham, seek shelter,” the Rural Fire Service says.
There is now also an emergency warning in Western Australia, as a fire on the north-east fringes of Perth is posing a possible risk to lives and homes.
An emergency warning has just been issued for the western part of Bullsbrook in the City of Swan.
“Homes near Ellenbrook Road are under threat by fire now. You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. There is a threat to lives and homes.”
The blaze started near Ellenbrook Road and is moving in a westerly direction.
Melinda Pavey is the NSW member for Oxley. She’s at the Kempsey Showground, which is acting as an evacuation centre for people affected by a number of fires in the area, including the emergency level Carrai East fire.Melinda Pavey is the NSW member for Oxley. She’s at the Kempsey Showground, which is acting as an evacuation centre for people affected by a number of fires in the area, including the emergency level Carrai East fire.
“We’re just hearing and listening to people and their stories,” Pavey says. “One family from up at Bellbrook went down to the Kempsey races and they came home and the house was gone.”“We’re just hearing and listening to people and their stories,” Pavey says. “One family from up at Bellbrook went down to the Kempsey races and they came home and the house was gone.”
Pavey tells me they’ve had about 600 people register at the showground, and she’s just come from the Macksville evacuation centre which was “full of volunteers getting ready for people to come in”.Pavey tells me they’ve had about 600 people register at the showground, and she’s just come from the Macksville evacuation centre which was “full of volunteers getting ready for people to come in”.
“Here we’ve got tables and tables laden with donated food and clothes and toys, for people who have lost everything,” she says, adding that local businesses and charities had donated food, fans and games consoles for the kids to stay entertained.“Here we’ve got tables and tables laden with donated food and clothes and toys, for people who have lost everything,” she says, adding that local businesses and charities had donated food, fans and games consoles for the kids to stay entertained.
“It’s typical of Kempsey and Macksville, helping the community. There’s a tremendous spirit but also a feeling of trepidation, everyone is on tenterhooks about the heat and the wind and what’s going to happen.”“It’s typical of Kempsey and Macksville, helping the community. There’s a tremendous spirit but also a feeling of trepidation, everyone is on tenterhooks about the heat and the wind and what’s going to happen.”
Pavey says her own home is not in danger but she’s worried about others.Pavey says her own home is not in danger but she’s worried about others.
“I’m worried about Bellingen tonight with the southerly. I’m just worried. I don’t want people to go through the pain.”“I’m worried about Bellingen tonight with the southerly. I’m just worried. I don’t want people to go through the pain.”
The ninth emergency warning. The fire near Kian Road has breached containment lines and is burning towards Macksville.The ninth emergency warning. The fire near Kian Road has breached containment lines and is burning towards Macksville.
“If you’re near Talarm, Macksville, Allgomera Creek, seek shelter,” the Rural Fire Service says.“If you’re near Talarm, Macksville, Allgomera Creek, seek shelter,” the Rural Fire Service says.
More from the Bureau of Meteorology, which has warned that conditions will become “increasingly dangerous throughout the afternoon”.
The bureau’s state manager, Ann Farrell, told AAP a low-pressure system would bring “strengthening, hot, dry winds” that will make firefighters’ job much harder.
Earlier the Rural Fire Service commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, said that the worst winds would not sweep through until midnight.
Stuart Ellis from the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council also told ABC TV that: “This event will develop late in the day, particularly for Sydney, the Hunter and the Illawarra.”
Fitzsimmons stresses that all the fires are “getting closer to population centres”.
“That’s why we invested very much in the predictive maps earlier today,” he says. “To show that these fires are getting closer to population centres.”
There are currently eight emergency warnings around NSW. There are 71 fires across the state, 40 uncontained. Eight are at emergency warning level and 10 are at watch and act.
Fitzsimmons says all eight fires are near population centres.
The eight fires are:
The Myall Creek fire near Woodburn.
The Liberation Trail fire west of Coffs Harbour.
The Thunderbolts Way fire, north of Gloucester.
The Gulf Road fire near Tenterfield.
The Hillville Road fire near Nabiac, south of Taree.
The Whans Road fire in Llangothlin.
The Carrai fire west of Kempsey.
The Reserves Road fire, north of Gloucester.
The NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, says that winds are up to 80km/h across the greater Hunter and 70km/h in the Blue Mountains.
“This will only worsen through the afternoon as the weather conditions continue to deteriorate,” he says. “Those winds will only get stronger in the afternoon.”
He says three properties have been impacted, and potentially destroyed, by the Hillville fire near Taree.
“The conditions have still got a way to go before they reach the potential of the forecast,” he says.
Naaman Zhou here, taking over the blog again. Thanks to my colleague Chris Knaus.
We are expecting another update from the NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner in a few minutes.
Let’s take a moment to recap the day, as NSW battles unprecedented fire danger. The main concern continues to be around bushfires on the mid-north coast of NSW, but we’re also seeing significant fire danger in Queensland and South Australia.
The NSW Rural Fire Service has issued eight emergency warnings for bushfires across the state, including for fires at Hillville Road (near Nabiac and Failford), Llangothlin (near Armidale), Thunderbolts Way (north of the Gloucester), Gulf Road (south-west of Tenterfield), and Reserves Road..
There are more than 50 fires burning in NSW, most of them uncontrolled. A total fire ban remains in place. Authorities in NSW are warning conditions will continue to worsen throughout the day with strengthening winds and higher temperatures.
Fire danger is still rated as “catastrophic” in the greater Sydney, greater Hunter and Illawarra/Shoalhaven regions.
Changing winds moving north up the NSW east coast this evening are expected to create significant danger, potentially switching the direction of the fire front and intensifying winds.
Nine schools in north-west NSW and the Upper Hunter have been evacuated as a precaution. That’s on top of hundreds of schools and Tafes already closed by the state government.
A state of fire emergency has been declared across 42 local government areas in Queensland. The main concern is in the state’s south-east, and conditions are expected to worsen into the afternoon.
The bushfires have led to a significant worsening of air quality as smoke haze drifts across NSW and south-eastern Queensland.
Residents near Baryulgil are being warned to seek shelter as the Washpool state forest fire approaches. It is now too late to leave. The NSW Rural Fire Service has issued an emergency warning for the fire, the seventh such warning for fires across the state today.
A sixth emergency warning has just been issued by the NSW Rural Fire Service. This one is for the Liberation Trail fire, near Clarence Valley. The fire has breached containment lines. Authorities are advising residents in the areas of Nana Glen and Coramba that they should leave immediately towards Coffs Harbour.
Conditions are expected to worsen significantly this afternoon as a wind change moves through NSW. Meteorologists are expecting the change to bring southerly winds up the coast, reaching Wollongong between 5pm and 6pm, Sydney at 7pm, Newcastle between 8pm and 9pm, and Port Macquarie about midnight.
That change complicates the fires significantly. It not only changes the direction of the fire front, but intensifies winds. Stronger winds will carry embers well ahead of the fire front and spread fires with greater speed.
This is a time of particular fire danger.
Just a little more on those school evacuations in north-west NSW and the Upper Hunter. We’ve heard from the education minister, Sarah Mitchell, who said the number of schools now evacuated is nine. The schools were evacuated as a precautionary measure and on the advice of the Rural Fire Service, she said.
“Safety comes first – we need to take precaution and evacuate to get children out of there,” Mitchell told the ABC.
The schools evacuated were around Gloucester, Stratford and Stroud, north of Newcastle, and Moonbi and Bendemeer, north of Tamworth.
Eight of the schools were primary schools and one was a high school.
“This is unfolding as we speak so we’re just doing what we need to to get them into safe areas,” she said.