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NSW and Qld fires: South Australia also faces catastrophic bushfires risk – live NSW and Qld fires: South Australia also faces catastrophic bushfires risk – live
(32 minutes later)
Catastrophic bushfire conditions expected for several SA regions, Queensland faces severe fire danger and Melbourne weather forecast for hottest ever December day, as Morrison says he ‘deeply regrets any offence caused’ by holiday. Follow the latest news and updatesCatastrophic bushfire conditions expected for several SA regions, Queensland faces severe fire danger and Melbourne weather forecast for hottest ever December day, as Morrison says he ‘deeply regrets any offence caused’ by holiday. Follow the latest news and updates
Properties are thought to have been lost or damaged and others remain under threat from two serious bushfires burning near Adelaide.
Country Fire Service chief Mark Jones said the fires in the Adelaide Hills and at Angle Vale, both subject to emergency warnings, were unlikely to be contained soon.
The CFS says 28 fires have been sparked across the state amid catastrophic fire conditions on Friday, AAP reports.
Mr Jones said the terrain and the prevailing conditions in the Adelaide Hills, were making access difficult for fire crews.
“The lack of visibility also makes it very difficult for crews,” he said.
Spot fires ahead of the main front were thought to have damaged some properties around the town of Lobethal with the blaze now burning towards Woodside.
Properties were also thought to have been damaged or lost in the Angle Vale blaze, but Mr Jones said it was too early to confirm details.
The CFS had 59 fire trucks and 11 aircraft tackling the Adelaide Hills fire with 31 trucks and six aircraft deployed to Angle Vale.
More than 500 firefighters were in the field across both incidents and extra aerial resources have also been brought in from NSW and Victoria.
First the fire, now the rain.
Four firefighters have been injured in South Australia at the Cudlee Creek fire, which is at emergency level. It’s currently burning in a south-east direction towards Woodside.
Tomorrow’s conditions are looking to be worse but O’Connor is barely even thinking about that yet.
He sighs.
“What you can see we’ve got now – we’ve got the potential where the village is going to be sandwiched from both sides. We’re coming in from the west, and from the east. Our village has never been affected from the east before.”
He says the conditions are erratic, volatile, and the wind is completely unpredictable, pushing fire right into the village before retreating and making another advance.
He says residents had plans in place and most people left yesterday, heeding the warnings.
O’Connor is fielding a lot of calls from residents but says that’s what they want. Today, as occurred five times yesterday, residents will come to the station to shelter if an emergency klaxon sounds.
We’re in Balmoral where the situation is incredibly serious. There are fires on both sides of the village, which was hit five times yesterday by the Green Wattle Creek blaze.We’re in Balmoral where the situation is incredibly serious. There are fires on both sides of the village, which was hit five times yesterday by the Green Wattle Creek blaze.
Several houses are confirmed lost, and as we sit here residents are walking into the fire station having been forced to abandon their property. Several waterbombing aircraft, including the skycranes are flying overhead, trying to control a blaze to the east before a wind change which is is predicted any time. Several houses are confirmed lost, and as we sit here residents are walking into the fire station having been forced to abandon their property. Several waterbombing aircraft, including the skycranes, are flying overhead trying to control a blaze to the east before a wind change which is is predicted any time.
Brendan O’Connor is the brigade captain of the RFS village unit here, and is visibly shaken.Brendan O’Connor is the brigade captain of the RFS village unit here, and is visibly shaken.
“A massive amount of village was taken yesterday… and then the lives and the injuries,” he says. “It’s just such a tragic thing, unfortunately we’ve seen too much of it this year. It’s just wearing everyone down. “A massive amount of village was taken yesterday … and then the lives and the injuries,” he says. “It’s just such a tragic thing, unfortunately we’ve seen too much of it this year. It’s just wearing everyone down.
“We’ve lost at least six to eight homes in our village. What it did, it crossed over to our eastern side of our village so we still have very active fire on our western side plus on our eastern. It’s now moving up on the main body of our village itself.” “We’ve lost at least six to eight homes in our village. What it did, it crossed over to our eastern side of our village, so we still have very active fire on our western side plus on our eastern. It’s now moving up on the main body of our village itself.”
A skycrane roars overhead as we speak.A skycrane roars overhead as we speak.
“They’re fighting as hard as they can to stop us losing more properties in our village.”“They’re fighting as hard as they can to stop us losing more properties in our village.”
Two firefighters died here, and three others are in induced comas after a burnover in Bargo.Two firefighters died here, and three others are in induced comas after a burnover in Bargo.
“Most of us have worked with those gentlemen, so our sincere condolences to the families. It’s absolutely shattering,” says O’Connor.“Most of us have worked with those gentlemen, so our sincere condolences to the families. It’s absolutely shattering,” says O’Connor.
“We’ve know those guys [from Bargo] for 20 odd years, so we’re as close as family can be. It’s absolutely heartbreaking for every one of us. It’s just so tragic, so tragic.” “We’ve know those guys [from Bargo] for 20-odd years, so we’re as close as family can be. It’s absolutely heartbreaking for every one of us. It’s just so tragic, so tragic.”
Victorians are now facing very poor to hazardous air quality in some parts of the state.Victorians are now facing very poor to hazardous air quality in some parts of the state.
Have a look at the time lapse as it captures the smoke rolling in.Have a look at the time lapse as it captures the smoke rolling in.
The Latrobe Valley and Melbourne are both predicted to have very poor air quality.The Latrobe Valley and Melbourne are both predicted to have very poor air quality.
The Cudlee Creek fire in the Adelaide Hills is burning in a south-easterly direction towards Woodside.The Cudlee Creek fire in the Adelaide Hills is burning in a south-easterly direction towards Woodside.
While NSW areas closer to the water have felt some relief from the smoke, inland is still strongly affected, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.While NSW areas closer to the water have felt some relief from the smoke, inland is still strongly affected, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
And haunting pictures from our reporter, Helen Davidson, on the ground witnessing the clean-up in Buxton.And haunting pictures from our reporter, Helen Davidson, on the ground witnessing the clean-up in Buxton.
If you haven’t already, check out our interactive map showing the scale of the fires compared to major cities. Here is the fire area mapped over London.If you haven’t already, check out our interactive map showing the scale of the fires compared to major cities. Here is the fire area mapped over London.
Grose Valley in the Blue Mountains is at watch and act level.Grose Valley in the Blue Mountains is at watch and act level.
An emergency warning has been released for the Northern Expressway Angle Vale fire.An emergency warning has been released for the Northern Expressway Angle Vale fire.
This means homes and lives are under threat at two locations around Adelaide. Already 36 firetrucks and eight aircraft have been sent to fight the Cudlee Creek fire, with a further 20 sent to Angle Vale, which is also burning uncontrolled in grassland.This means homes and lives are under threat at two locations around Adelaide. Already 36 firetrucks and eight aircraft have been sent to fight the Cudlee Creek fire, with a further 20 sent to Angle Vale, which is also burning uncontrolled in grassland.
The fire is burning towards homes at suburban Munno Para Downs, AAP reports.The fire is burning towards homes at suburban Munno Para Downs, AAP reports.
In both cases, the Country Fire Service says crews are unable to stop the fires from spreading.In both cases, the Country Fire Service says crews are unable to stop the fires from spreading.
The federal and state governments have also announced they will provide $6m to attract tourists back to fire-ravaged Queensland communities.
The federal and state government funding is a stimulus for tourism-reliant areas hit by fires that includes the Scenic Rim, southern downs, Sunshine Coast and Noosa.
Tourism marketing for the affected areas will receive $1.5m, said the federal emergency minister, David Littleproud, and the state development minister, Cameron Dick. A further $1m will go towards restoring walking trails in the Lamington national park, and $500,000 will go towards industry recovery workers.
Still in Queensland, where firefighters are continuing to keep watch on a dangerous fire burning on multiple fronts at Lowmead near Gladstone, where several homes are feared lost.
The eastern side of the fire is burning in the vicinity of Cross Road, Hills Road, Whytallabah Road and Kirkpatrick Road, according to AAP. Firefighters will continue to work with heavy machinery and water-bombing aircraft to strengthen containment lines.
While contained, the fire could burn for several days and crews will remain in the area.
Sunshine Coast residents also remain on alert after being forced to evacuate a volatile bushfire on Wednesday. It was the third major fire in the region since September, as police continue to investigate the cause.
Conditions are forecast to improve along the Queensland coast into next week, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
A forecaster, Kimba Wong, said the sea breeze from the central coast to the border could provide some relief. “Fortunately along the coastal fringe we do have the sea breeze coming in bringing a touch of moisture and slightly more moderated temperatures,” she said.
Almost 70 fires are now burning across Queensland, jumping from 55 reported on Thursday, as the fire threat deepens.
Crews are braced for challenging conditions as a strong upper ridge sweeping across the south-east combines with fresh east-north-easterly winds on Friday, AAP reports.
The volatile conditions have prompted the weather bureau to reissue a severe fire warning for the Darling Downs and granite belt, central highlands and coalfields, and the eastern parts of the Warrego and Maranoa districts on Friday.
Areas of localised severe fire dangers are also in place for the eastern parts of the central west district.
The fires remain at “watch and act’ levels.
In about 20 minutes the cool change will begin to sweep through South Australia, starting with Port Lincoln and heading to Adelaide about 4pm.
Leighton Drury, the NSW state secretary of the Fire Brigade Employees’ Union and a serving firefighter, has slammed both the New South Wales and federal governments over what he calls a lack of leadership and resourcing.
Both the premier, Gladys Berejiklian, and the prime minister, Scott Morrison, have consistently said crews in the state have the resources they need to battle the more than 100 fires now burning across the state.
But at a press conference today Drury said the union believed the state’s professional firefighting force was 400 staff short, and he’d been told some regional crews were facing further cuts.
Drury told media that senior Fire and Rescue NSW figures had told him on Thursday that two regional communities – Urunga near Coffs Harbour on the state’s mid-coast and Peak Hill, south of Dubbo –would have their minimum staffing reduced from four firefighters to two as a result of budget cuts.
Drury said the cuts were emblematic of a wider lack of resourcing within Fire and Rescue NSW, the state’s professional fire service.
The union estimates that since 2011 firefighter numbers have remained at best stagnant while the state’s population has grown by approximately 800,000. The union believes the state’s force is 400 professional firefighters short.
“I’m calling on the premier, the treasurer and the emergency services minister to get in a room with Fire and Rescue NSW we know we’re 400 firefighters short across the state, 300 in regional NSW,” he said. “That’s just on current numbers, that’s not to deal with the crisis we’re dealing with right now.”
The state’s professional firefighters have been working alongside the Rural Fire Service volunteers.
“The RFS are doing all they can but, let’s be honest, you can’t ask people to do things for free for months on end they have their own lives. We’re coming into Christmas, they have their own jobs, they’ve got to earn a quid which is why we need professional firefighters to take care of these fires.
“The RFS, they’ve been at this now for three months this is not just the last two weeks. These fires started in August. We’ve been telling the government since March. They’re not listening and they need to fix it.”
And there are 100 fires burning across the state, with half yet to be contained.
The air certainly looks a lot clearer in NSW this morning but the rolling tally of hazardous PM 2.5 over the past 24 hours shows just how badly the state has been affected by the fires.
The worst-hit area over the past 24 hours was Orange, where the PM 2.5 index reached more than 1,000, or 10 times the limit recommended by the National Environment Protection Measure for Ambient Air standard.
Thirty of the 36 recorded sites in NSW exceeded the recommended limits for PM2.5 over the past 24 hours. In greater Sydney the worst-hit area was Oakdale, in Sydney’s south-west, which was five times the limit.
David Littleproud has also responded to criticism of Scott Morrison’s “want to be there” comments that were attacked by Anthony Albanese earlier today.
The emergency management minister says the statement was “nit-picked” and “twisted” and was meant to pay tribute to the desire of volunteers to help out.
“I get the emotion at the moment but we need to cool it a bit,” Littleproud said.
“We’ve got to be careful not to nitpick every statement. [These were] quite innocent comments about the commitment of our firefighters ... I think that is the point he tried to make. To twist it, it is not the time to do it. It is about the professionalism of those men and women.”
Australia’s emergency management minister, David Littleproud, is speaking now.
He says that “retrospectively”, Scott Morrison might not have gone on holiday had he known how bad the bushfire crisis would be.
“You cannot predict mother nature,” he says. “And as this has intensified, obviously the prime minister has made the decision he needed to come back. Retrospectively, it would have been great to know, and he might not have taken his leave.”A reporter asks, given that the fires had begun before Morrison left, should “he probably have stuck around”?
“That’s a matter of commentary,” Littleproud says. He says “there were always mechanisms in place” for other members of the executive to keep people safe in emergencies.
“He is a human being and we all know time to recharge. I personally needed time to recharge as well. I am no saint in comparison to these brave men and women on the frontline.”