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| NSW and Qld fires: bushfire conditions worsen in Queensland amid some 'relief' in New South Wales – live | NSW and Qld fires: bushfire conditions worsen in Queensland amid some 'relief' in New South Wales – live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Catastrophic fire conditions in New South Wales ease, but dozens of bushfires remain burning. In Queensland, 60 fires are burning with strong winds and temperatures in mid-30s forecast to make for hazardous conditions | |
| Our photo editor Jessica Hromas is on the mid-north coast, and took these photos in Rainbow Flat, where fires rages last weekend. | |
| Footage of commissioner Fitzsimmons speaking this morning, and a video wrap up of the fires still burning today. | |
| Four alleged breaches of the NSW total fire ban have occurred this week, according to the state’s police. | |
| The first was a 27-year-old man who lit a small campfire at Wallacia in Sydney’s west on Monday to boil water for tea, AAP reports. He extinguished the flames when authorities arrived and was fined $2200. | |
| A 35-year-old man at Lalor Park in Sydney’s west on Tuesday also allegedly burned fence palings in a cylindrical barbecue, causing a fire. | |
| A third man allegedly lit a small coal barbecue. | |
| And a nine-year-old boy was warned in Nowra after he and a group of other children admitted to using a blowtorch to light a grass fire. | |
| There is also a total fire ban in place today. | |
| Three different weather fronts could cause uncertainty, the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services assistant commissioner Tony Johnstone has told the ABC. | Three different weather fronts could cause uncertainty, the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services 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,” he said. | “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,” he said. |
| “Potentially ... we could actually have three different weather fronts.” | “Potentially ... we could actually have three different weather fronts.” |
| One of the major concerns for Queensland right now are the communities west of Brisbane and the Gold Coast, AAP reports. | One of the major concerns for Queensland right now are the communities west of Brisbane and the Gold Coast, AAP reports. |
| But the large Cobraball fire near Yeppoon, which has been burning for days, is also a concern. The fire is only 70% contained, and erratic weather and strengthening gusts could fan its flames. | But the large Cobraball fire near Yeppoon, which has been burning for days, is also a concern. The fire is only 70% contained, and erratic weather and strengthening gusts could fan its flames. |
| Thirteen of the 14 houses lost in Queensland were as a result of the Cobraball fire. | Thirteen of the 14 houses lost in Queensland were as a result of the Cobraball fire. |
| Gusts are expected to near 50km/h later in the day, with temperatures in some areas 6C to 8C above average. | Gusts are expected to near 50km/h later in the day, with temperatures in some areas 6C to 8C above average. |
| An update from Nana Glen, near Coffs Harbour, where actor Russell Crowe’s property was one of the many affected. | An update from Nana Glen, near Coffs Harbour, where actor Russell Crowe’s property was one of the many affected. |
| Last night Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce responded to criticism after he said yesterday that two of the people who died “most likely” were Greens voters. Joyce had said the Greens were to blame for worsening fires because their influence meant fire services had not conducted sufficient hazard-reduction burns. | Last night Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce responded to criticism after he said yesterday that two of the people who died “most likely” were Greens voters. Joyce had said the Greens were to blame for worsening fires because their influence meant fire services had not conducted sufficient hazard-reduction burns. |
| He told Sky News on Tuesday: “I acknowledge that the two people who died were most likely people who voted for the Green party” but said he did not want to attack them or the Greens but focus on the policy mix. | He told Sky News on Tuesday: “I acknowledge that the two people who died were most likely people who voted for the Green party” but said he did not want to attack them or the Greens but focus on the policy mix. |
| On Tuesday night he released a statement: “No matter which party an individual votes for, they do not deserve the tragedy that fell upon the Wytaliba bushfire victims. | On Tuesday night he released a statement: “No matter which party an individual votes for, they do not deserve the tragedy that fell upon the Wytaliba bushfire victims. |
| “Any suggestion that I said otherwise is a deliberate misinterpretation. Tragedies such as this transcend party politics.” | “Any suggestion that I said otherwise is a deliberate misinterpretation. Tragedies such as this transcend party politics.” |
| On Monday, Nationals leader and deputy prime minister Michael McCormack said any link between climate change and the worsening bushfires was “woke capital-city greenies ravings” and “cheap political point-scoring”. | On Monday, Nationals leader and deputy prime minister Michael McCormack said any link between climate change and the worsening bushfires was “woke capital-city greenies ravings” and “cheap political point-scoring”. |
| Russell Irving, the project coordinator of the Minyumai Indigenous Protected Area, has written in with an open letter. | Russell Irving, the project coordinator of the Minyumai Indigenous Protected Area, has written in with an open letter. |
| The Minyumai protected area is a 2,000 hectare conservation reserve near Woodburn on the north NSW coast. It’s home to endangered animals, provides employment to locals and holds deep cultural significance to the Bundjalung traditional owners. | The Minyumai protected area is a 2,000 hectare conservation reserve near Woodburn on the north NSW coast. It’s home to endangered animals, provides employment to locals and holds deep cultural significance to the Bundjalung traditional owners. |
| “Our protected area is currently under direct threat by the Myall Creek fire,” he writes. | “Our protected area is currently under direct threat by the Myall Creek fire,” he writes. |
| “We’ve had fires in previous years which have been controlled and limited in scale due to the annual fuel reduction burns ... These and other fire control measures have become largely ineffectual in the face of the devastating and growing impacts of climate change in the region. | “We’ve had fires in previous years which have been controlled and limited in scale due to the annual fuel reduction burns ... These and other fire control measures have become largely ineffectual in the face of the devastating and growing impacts of climate change in the region. |
| “We are in the grip of a severe drought which has rendered the gullies, waterfalls and creeks bone dry for years. Fuel reduction burns can only rarely be safely conducted due to the shortening winter periods and when fires do occur they are driven by extreme above-average temperatures, hot dry winds and low humidity. | “We are in the grip of a severe drought which has rendered the gullies, waterfalls and creeks bone dry for years. Fuel reduction burns can only rarely be safely conducted due to the shortening winter periods and when fires do occur they are driven by extreme above-average temperatures, hot dry winds and low humidity. |
| “The 10 Bandjalang Aboriginal rangers we employ and their families are at risk of losing their workplace and livelihoods. Many have lost their homes from the nearby Bora Ridge fire and others are suffering ill health from the smoke. | “The 10 Bandjalang Aboriginal rangers we employ and their families are at risk of losing their workplace and livelihoods. Many have lost their homes from the nearby Bora Ridge fire and others are suffering ill health from the smoke. |
| “We (and many of our small-scale agricultural neighbours) are at threat of becoming members of the rapidly growing number of climate refugees in this country. | “We (and many of our small-scale agricultural neighbours) are at threat of becoming members of the rapidly growing number of climate refugees in this country. |
| “Although we welcome the ‘thoughts and prayers’ of politicians it is not enough ... Australians are crying out for action on manmade climate change.” | “Although we welcome the ‘thoughts and prayers’ of politicians it is not enough ... Australians are crying out for action on manmade climate change.” |
| Despite helping to protect his and a few other neighbour’s homes, Col’s neighbour says he feels guilty he wasn’t able to stop the fire tearing through his friend’s property.“I wasn’t sleeping, just lying in bed about midnight hearing the crash of the trees. I heard a big bang and thought it was just another tree but when I came back here in the morning, it was the roar of the house going.”A few days later, he’s still reliving Friday night. It was scary, he said, to watch the speed at which the fire moved up the ridge near his home. “It’s an adrenaline rush, you know, I slept four hours last night and that’s the most I’ve slept in days. I’m tired and I’m aching but I was still up at 5am,” he said.The road into Rainbow Flat is still cut off, and since the fire he says he’s been living off Vegemite sandwiches. Yesterday, though, a friend dropped off some eggs and a slab of beer so he treated himself to six scrambled eggs and “about 10 beers”. “And I’ll back it up again,” he told me. A few days later, people are starting to filter back in but to a very different-looking Rainbow Flat.Leo and Geesje Carter evacuated on Thursday night and drove to Taree. It took them a couple of days to get back. Their home survived, but they were shocked at how close the fire came to their bush-facing property.“Luckily the fence survived, I just finished building the thing,” Leo said. | Despite helping to protect his and a few other neighbour’s homes, Col’s neighbour says he feels guilty he wasn’t able to stop the fire tearing through his friend’s property.“I wasn’t sleeping, just lying in bed about midnight hearing the crash of the trees. I heard a big bang and thought it was just another tree but when I came back here in the morning, it was the roar of the house going.”A few days later, he’s still reliving Friday night. It was scary, he said, to watch the speed at which the fire moved up the ridge near his home. “It’s an adrenaline rush, you know, I slept four hours last night and that’s the most I’ve slept in days. I’m tired and I’m aching but I was still up at 5am,” he said.The road into Rainbow Flat is still cut off, and since the fire he says he’s been living off Vegemite sandwiches. Yesterday, though, a friend dropped off some eggs and a slab of beer so he treated himself to six scrambled eggs and “about 10 beers”. “And I’ll back it up again,” he told me. A few days later, people are starting to filter back in but to a very different-looking Rainbow Flat.Leo and Geesje Carter evacuated on Thursday night and drove to Taree. It took them a couple of days to get back. Their home survived, but they were shocked at how close the fire came to their bush-facing property.“Luckily the fence survived, I just finished building the thing,” Leo said. |
| Col Meredith was one of the few who stayed behind in Rainbow Flat near Taree when fires tore through on Friday night.“My son lives in Singleton, he was saying ‘Dad just go, go into Forster’, I said mate I’m not going anywhere,” he said this morning.Col’s house survived, but his neighbour a few hundred metres up the road wasn’t so lucky. Guardian Australia found him clearing their driveway and watching out for potential looters. | Col Meredith was one of the few who stayed behind in Rainbow Flat near Taree when fires tore through on Friday night.“My son lives in Singleton, he was saying ‘Dad just go, go into Forster’, I said mate I’m not going anywhere,” he said this morning.Col’s house survived, but his neighbour a few hundred metres up the road wasn’t so lucky. Guardian Australia found him clearing their driveway and watching out for potential looters. |
| “The roar of the thing on Friday night, it’s like nothing else, believe me. I was here with the firies and had to come up on to the bitumen just to try to breathe for a minute,” he said. | “The roar of the thing on Friday night, it’s like nothing else, believe me. I was here with the firies and had to come up on to the bitumen just to try to breathe for a minute,” he said. |
| Queensland is bracing for another day of fires on par with those in September, which remarkably damaged pockets of subtropical rainforest and the iconic Binna Burra Lodge. | Queensland is bracing for another day of fires on par with those in September, which remarkably damaged pockets of subtropical rainforest and the iconic Binna Burra Lodge. |
| Yesterday police told the Gold Coast Bulletin that fire had been started by a cigarette discarded by a group of teenagers. | Yesterday police told the Gold Coast Bulletin that fire had been started by a cigarette discarded by a group of teenagers. |
| On today of all days it should serve as a reminder that the hot, dry and windy conditions can fuel dangerous fires, but that taking precautions and adhering to fire bans could prevent them breaking out in the first instance. | On today of all days it should serve as a reminder that the hot, dry and windy conditions can fuel dangerous fires, but that taking precautions and adhering to fire bans could prevent them breaking out in the first instance. |
| NSW RFS commissioner Fitzsimmons has just said: “We are mindful that the science is suggesting, and we are experiencing, that fire seasons are starting earlier and are extending longer.” | NSW RFS commissioner Fitzsimmons has just said: “We are mindful that the science is suggesting, and we are experiencing, that fire seasons are starting earlier and are extending longer.” |
| “There is no doubt that this drought is having a profound effect,” he says. | “There is no doubt that this drought is having a profound effect,” he says. |
| When asked about the coming summer, he sounds a word of warning. | When asked about the coming summer, he sounds a word of warning. |
| “The risk is here. The risk is real. We’ve got the worst of the summer, the worst of the season still ahead of us as we head into summer.” | “The risk is here. The risk is real. We’ve got the worst of the summer, the worst of the season still ahead of us as we head into summer.” |
| Fitzsimmons says he has never seen better coordination than yesterday – between emergency services, governments, media and more. | Fitzsimmons says he has never seen better coordination than yesterday – between emergency services, governments, media and more. |
| “I don’t think the coordination, cooperation, integration arrangements have ever been better in this state than what I’ve observed yesterday,” he said. | “I don’t think the coordination, cooperation, integration arrangements have ever been better in this state than what I’ve observed yesterday,” he said. |
| “Unequivocally, yesterday, we saw together all the jurisdictions, the state’s agencies, the community, the media, come together like I’ve never seen before, and we will take a lot of lessons out of that.” | “Unequivocally, yesterday, we saw together all the jurisdictions, the state’s agencies, the community, the media, come together like I’ve never seen before, and we will take a lot of lessons out of that.” |
| Fire and Rescue commissioner Paul Baxter adds that there were 2,000 calls to Triple Zero yesterday. | Fire and Rescue commissioner Paul Baxter adds that there were 2,000 calls to Triple Zero yesterday. |
| He paid tribute to the quick work of agencies. | He paid tribute to the quick work of agencies. |
| “I think that the reports of minimal loss of property, life and injuries, is indicative of the preparations that have been done by all the agencies. | “I think that the reports of minimal loss of property, life and injuries, is indicative of the preparations that have been done by all the agencies. |
| “The fires that we did see occurring in the urban areas, such as the Turramurra incident yesterday, were dealt with really quickly. We threw a weight of response in and a speed of response and that was an incident that showed fire rescue crews, along with RFS crews and Parks and Wildlife crews, working together seamlessly.” | “The fires that we did see occurring in the urban areas, such as the Turramurra incident yesterday, were dealt with really quickly. We threw a weight of response in and a speed of response and that was an incident that showed fire rescue crews, along with RFS crews and Parks and Wildlife crews, working together seamlessly.” |
| Shane Fitzsimmons says there will be hotter, worse conditions next week. And many of the fires burning today will still be burning then. | Shane Fitzsimmons says there will be hotter, worse conditions next week. And many of the fires burning today will still be burning then. |
| “We will not have all these fires contained before then,” he says. “We will not have all these fires contained and locked up for many, many weeks. | “We will not have all these fires contained before then,” he says. “We will not have all these fires contained and locked up for many, many weeks. |
| “Unfortunately, what we need is rain. What we need is meaningful rain. And there is certainly nothing in the forecast for the foreseeable future that’s going to make any discernible difference to the conditions that we are experiencing.” | “Unfortunately, what we need is rain. What we need is meaningful rain. And there is certainly nothing in the forecast for the foreseeable future that’s going to make any discernible difference to the conditions that we are experiencing.” |
| NSW RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons is speaking in Sydney now. | NSW RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons is speaking in Sydney now. |
| He says there have now been an estimated 300 homes destroyed since the start of fire season, after 50 were damaged or lost yesterday. | He says there have now been an estimated 300 homes destroyed since the start of fire season, after 50 were damaged or lost yesterday. |
| There are 17 fires today at watch and act, with none at emergency. But that is “subject to the weather today” and “we could still see some volatility” and changes to that. | There are 17 fires today at watch and act, with none at emergency. But that is “subject to the weather today” and “we could still see some volatility” and changes to that. |
| “The reality is it could have bene a whole lot worse,” he says. | “The reality is it could have bene a whole lot worse,” he says. |
| And in map form: | And in map form: |