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/live/2019/dec/18/australia-extreme-heatwave-weather-forecast-nsw-fires-near-new-south-wales-total-fire-ban-bushfires-victoria-melbourne-sydney-latest-news-live-updates
The article has changed 23 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 9 | Version 10 |
|---|---|
| Australia bushfires: weather bureau says Tuesday was nation's hottest day on record – live | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| BoM data says Tuesday’s 40.9C was the hottest average maximum across the whole country ever recorded, as extreme heat moves across South Australia to Melbourne, Victoria and Sydney, NSW, as bushfires continue. Follow latest updates | |
| The NSW premier has warned firefighters will confront an “enormous challenge” in coming days as temperatures soar and volatile winds whip up dangerous bushfires across the state. | |
| Gladys Berejiklian says the state faces significant bushfire risk on Thursday and Saturday with the potential for “exceedingly concerning” winds to blow embers well ahead of fire fronts. | |
| “Not only are we going to experience very high temperatures on Thursday and Saturday but there’s the exceedingly concerning wind conditions,” she said. | |
| “We’re going to have a number of wind fronts escalating the fuel, the fires burning, and the potential to have spot fires and embers travelling very long distances. | |
| “It’s going to mean very unpredictable fire conditions.” | |
| The Rural Fire Service commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, said fire behaviour is forecast to be “erratic and significant” due to the volatile winds. | |
| “The heat will start moving through NSW on Thursday and conditions will worsen on Saturday,” he said. | |
| “We can expect the winds to be up and conditions to be at their peak very early in the morning and we’ll have high sustained fire dangers for something like 15 hours.” | |
| A statewide total fire ban is in place from Wednesday morning to midnight Saturday. | |
| Firefighters will work around the clock to contain fires before the worst of the conditions hit. | |
| There were about 100 fires burning across NSW on Wednesday at midday with more than half uncontained, the RFS said. | |
| Daytime temperatures in parts of NSW and the ACT are expected to exceed 40C through to Saturday while in the western half of the state the mercury could top 45C. | |
| Wind gusts could top more than 100km/h. | |
| The NSW emergency services minister, David Elliott, said complacency was a significant threat. | |
| “Just because you haven’t seen a fire at the end of your street, just because you can’t see smoke in your suburb, doesn’t mean that you are not at risk,” he said. | |
| This is not the highest temperature reached anywhere on the continent, but the hottest “average maximum across the country” ever recorded. | This is not the highest temperature reached anywhere on the continent, but the hottest “average maximum across the country” ever recorded. |
| Queensland. Beautiful one day. Forty. Seven. Degrees. The. Next. | Queensland. Beautiful one day. Forty. Seven. Degrees. The. Next. |
| As a kid sitting in an unairconditioned primary school in Brisbane, we used to stare at a thermometer on a shaded wall outside as the mercury inched towards the mythical 38C mark when we all believed we would be sent home under some arcane law (nobody ever checked that this was actually the case, but we believed it because a big kid from year seven had told us). The thermometer never quite got there, and we never went home, but I still remember the anticipation, and just how brutally hot it felt, even short of the threshold. It’s going to be low-to-mid 40s from Friday (I note school has already broken up, but mid-40s in Queensland humidity ...) | As a kid sitting in an unairconditioned primary school in Brisbane, we used to stare at a thermometer on a shaded wall outside as the mercury inched towards the mythical 38C mark when we all believed we would be sent home under some arcane law (nobody ever checked that this was actually the case, but we believed it because a big kid from year seven had told us). The thermometer never quite got there, and we never went home, but I still remember the anticipation, and just how brutally hot it felt, even short of the threshold. It’s going to be low-to-mid 40s from Friday (I note school has already broken up, but mid-40s in Queensland humidity ...) |
| AAP reports: | AAP reports: |
| NSW update: | NSW update: |
| Two buildings have reportedly been damaged in the fires at Mount Maria and Lowmead. | Two buildings have reportedly been damaged in the fires at Mount Maria and Lowmead. |
| Firefighters worked overnight to try to contain the fires. | Firefighters worked overnight to try to contain the fires. |
| On Wednesday morning residents were told to be ready to leave if conditions worsened, and some who had evacuated are not being allowed to return home. | On Wednesday morning residents were told to be ready to leave if conditions worsened, and some who had evacuated are not being allowed to return home. |
| The fires have claimed at least two properties, Gladstone’s mayor, Matt Burnett, told the ABC. | The fires have claimed at least two properties, Gladstone’s mayor, Matt Burnett, told the ABC. |
| “Unfortunately we have had reports overnight that we’ve lost two, probably three structures, which would be people’s homes in the area there,” Burnett said. | “Unfortunately we have had reports overnight that we’ve lost two, probably three structures, which would be people’s homes in the area there,” Burnett said. |
| “So obviously they’re doing rapid assessment damages this morning as they were doing yesterday, at the same time, of course, trying to fight the fire which is impacting around the Lowmead, Tablelands Road area.” | “So obviously they’re doing rapid assessment damages this morning as they were doing yesterday, at the same time, of course, trying to fight the fire which is impacting around the Lowmead, Tablelands Road area.” |
| The fire is burning in a south-westerly direction towards John Clifford Way. | The fire is burning in a south-westerly direction towards John Clifford Way. |
| The Queensland Rural Fire Service has also issued prepare to leave warnings for Promisedland and Pine Creek, south-west of Bundaberg. | The Queensland Rural Fire Service has also issued prepare to leave warnings for Promisedland and Pine Creek, south-west of Bundaberg. |
| Residents of the three towns have told to travel to an evacuation centre at Miriam Vale’s community hall, or towards Bundaberg if they have to leave on Wednesday. | Residents of the three towns have told to travel to an evacuation centre at Miriam Vale’s community hall, or towards Bundaberg if they have to leave on Wednesday. |
| Much of Queensland will suffer a heatwave for the rest of this week, but the worst is expected in the state’s interior. | Much of Queensland will suffer a heatwave for the rest of this week, but the worst is expected in the state’s interior. |
| A petition demanding more resources for firefighters facing longer, hotter bushfire seasons has been delivered to politicians outside NSW parliament, despite authorities insisting they are happy with funding levels. | A petition demanding more resources for firefighters facing longer, hotter bushfire seasons has been delivered to politicians outside NSW parliament, despite authorities insisting they are happy with funding levels. |
| A small crowd of demonstrators carrying placards gathered in Sydney on Wednesday to hand over the petition which has more than 59,000 signatures. | A small crowd of demonstrators carrying placards gathered in Sydney on Wednesday to hand over the petition which has more than 59,000 signatures. |
| NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge, who received the petition with Labor’s Penny Sharpe and Emma Hurst of the Animal Justice party, said the vital volunteer firefighter service was under serious, unsustainable pressure. | NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge, who received the petition with Labor’s Penny Sharpe and Emma Hurst of the Animal Justice party, said the vital volunteer firefighter service was under serious, unsustainable pressure. |
| “We’ve heard from the volunteers that they’re in danger of losing their jobs,” Shoebridge said. “Their employers can’t keep putting them on indefinite leave without state government support ... And where’s the premier? Well, she’s not here.” hoebridge said. | “We’ve heard from the volunteers that they’re in danger of losing their jobs,” Shoebridge said. “Their employers can’t keep putting them on indefinite leave without state government support ... And where’s the premier? Well, she’s not here.” hoebridge said. |
| The premier, Gladys Berejiklian, was at Rural Fire Service headquarters on Wednesday for a briefing on the current bushfire threat and the outlook for coming days. | The premier, Gladys Berejiklian, was at Rural Fire Service headquarters on Wednesday for a briefing on the current bushfire threat and the outlook for coming days. |
| At parliament, Leighton Drury, state secretary of the Fire Brigade Employees Union, said volunteers could not be expected to keep fighting long-running, growing fires. | At parliament, Leighton Drury, state secretary of the Fire Brigade Employees Union, said volunteers could not be expected to keep fighting long-running, growing fires. |
| “Our volunteers are exhausted,” he said. “They are doing an overwhelming, great job. But should we be expecting them to do this? Well, I say ‘no’. Even they’re starting to say ‘no’. We need more professional firefighters.” rury said. | “Our volunteers are exhausted,” he said. “They are doing an overwhelming, great job. But should we be expecting them to do this? Well, I say ‘no’. Even they’re starting to say ‘no’. We need more professional firefighters.” rury said. |
| He also claimed there has been a “systematic defunding of fire services in NSW” in the past eight years, including a reduction in professional firefighter numbers. | He also claimed there has been a “systematic defunding of fire services in NSW” in the past eight years, including a reduction in professional firefighter numbers. |
| Persistent claims of underfunding have been consistently rejected by the Berejiklian government and the premier said on Wednesday that she was proud of the “record investment” in emergency fire services. | Persistent claims of underfunding have been consistently rejected by the Berejiklian government and the premier said on Wednesday that she was proud of the “record investment” in emergency fire services. |
| The Rural Fire Service’s commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, said resourcing and funding for the organisation had “never been better”. | The Rural Fire Service’s commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, said resourcing and funding for the organisation had “never been better”. |
| Sydney Water has estimated water usage is going to go up by 6.6% over summer, and has advised people to keep mindful of saving water during the drought period. | Sydney Water has estimated water usage is going to go up by 6.6% over summer, and has advised people to keep mindful of saving water during the drought period. |
| On the hottest day of summer last summer, 1.919bn litres of water was used, the equivalent of 768 Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to Sydney Water. | On the hottest day of summer last summer, 1.919bn litres of water was used, the equivalent of 768 Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to Sydney Water. |
| The total daily average water use in Sydney increased by 103m litres over summer compared with the full-year average, too, Sydney Water said. | The total daily average water use in Sydney increased by 103m litres over summer compared with the full-year average, too, Sydney Water said. |
| This poses a challenge now. Sydney Water has said people should try to limit showers to four minutes; each extra minute accounts for up to nine litres of water. | This poses a challenge now. Sydney Water has said people should try to limit showers to four minutes; each extra minute accounts for up to nine litres of water. |
| Using local swimming pools or beaches and the showers there is another option. | Using local swimming pools or beaches and the showers there is another option. |
| While the drought rages on, one Queensland mayor needs water for a water skiing complex. Via AAP: | While the drought rages on, one Queensland mayor needs water for a water skiing complex. Via AAP: |
| An outback mayor said he was confident hundreds of millions litres of water would be secured to fill an enormous water skiing complex at a drought-stricken town in the new year. | An outback mayor said he was confident hundreds of millions litres of water would be secured to fill an enormous water skiing complex at a drought-stricken town in the new year. |
| A 2.4km water ski circuit excavated at Barcaldine, about 1,000km north-west of Brisbane, was ready to receive the water from the Great Artesian Basin, says the mayor, Rob Chandler. | A 2.4km water ski circuit excavated at Barcaldine, about 1,000km north-west of Brisbane, was ready to receive the water from the Great Artesian Basin, says the mayor, Rob Chandler. |
| He said the project, built to a standard to host state and national barefoot-skiing championships, would be a win for the community suffering through one of its worst droughts on record. | He said the project, built to a standard to host state and national barefoot-skiing championships, would be a win for the community suffering through one of its worst droughts on record. |