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NSW fires live: roads closed and second person dead in South Australia bushfires – latest news NSW fires live: roads closed and second person dead in South Australia bushfires – latest news
(32 minutes later)
Emergency fire warnings have been issued for parts of NSW, including Greater Sydney, Victoria and South Australia, and the Australian weather forecast is for extreme temperaturesEmergency fire warnings have been issued for parts of NSW, including Greater Sydney, Victoria and South Australia, and the Australian weather forecast is for extreme temperatures
We’re in Kurrajong Heights, where a strike team is setting up ahead of a fire front just on the other side of the hill.
The sky is dark, and it is eerily still, with ash falling from the sky.
“The parts were worried about being impacted are along here, and a road behind us,” says Greg, who’s leading the strike team here.
“At the moment the rush is not as great as what we thought it was… It’s about a K away.”Asked if this is the main point of concern, Greg says “it’s everywhere”.
“There’s multiple points. It just continues to spot and we can’t stop it.”
It’s incredibly still now. Greg laughs.
“When you’re still that’s when you worry. It’s the calm before the storm. Fires will make their own weather and when they haven’t joined together and had the bonfire effect and there’s a distance between them, usually the main fire front will make its own weather and start driving itself. Which means it sucks all the air from the surrounding areas.
“So if it’s quiet and still, that’s when the worry is.”
Ashleigh Coskerie and Jonathon Evripidou live just down the hill. Andrew Helwig is their neighbour.
The three have stayed to fight off ember attacks and spot fires on their houses.
“It’s looking pretty bad,” says Evripidou. “If it comes through it’s going to get ten times worse, I know that.
“It’s just a waiting game.”
Coskerie says they heard their street over the scanner radio and had a moment of panic, but they feel better with so many crews outside.
“We feel safer now we’ve got all the guys in the street… They’re right there if, you know.”
And some more.
Awful scenes coming out of Lithgow right now.
Now, Bowers says he is in Yanderra, near Bargo and fire is about to impact on properties there.
Guardian Australia’s photographer-at-large Mike Bowers was at Bargo, where he says the latest RFS temperature report had it at 41C.
We are in Richmond where smoke is extraordinarily thick and the RFS’s 737 Large Air Tanker is doing laps overhead, bombing the fire just a few suburbs away.We are in Richmond where smoke is extraordinarily thick and the RFS’s 737 Large Air Tanker is doing laps overhead, bombing the fire just a few suburbs away.
The Richmond club is acting as the evacuation centre. There hasn’t been an evacuation centre declared officially for this area yet and people are a bit confused about where they are supposed to go, but people are welcome at the Richmond club and many have just shown up with pets and family having left their homes either as a precaution or fleeing the fire.The Richmond club is acting as the evacuation centre. There hasn’t been an evacuation centre declared officially for this area yet and people are a bit confused about where they are supposed to go, but people are welcome at the Richmond club and many have just shown up with pets and family having left their homes either as a precaution or fleeing the fire.
A couple has arrived with seven cats, and another man came down from Mount Bowen on his bike, we’re told.A couple has arrived with seven cats, and another man came down from Mount Bowen on his bike, we’re told.
Mary Lyons-Buckett is the deputy mayor of Hawkesbury, and tells us people are mainly coming from Bilpin, Mount Bowen – which was recently evacuated – and Kurrajong and Kurrajong Heights.Mary Lyons-Buckett is the deputy mayor of Hawkesbury, and tells us people are mainly coming from Bilpin, Mount Bowen – which was recently evacuated – and Kurrajong and Kurrajong Heights.
“Our local fire brigades, many of them went up north and have been fighting the fires in Port Macquarie and so on, and they have been fighting this fire in the valley for a good four or five weeks.”“Our local fire brigades, many of them went up north and have been fighting the fires in Port Macquarie and so on, and they have been fighting this fire in the valley for a good four or five weeks.”
“From a community perspective there are really heightened emotions, people are tearful just speaking about it even if they aren’t affected.”“From a community perspective there are really heightened emotions, people are tearful just speaking about it even if they aren’t affected.”
In that press conference, RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons also confirmed that those Blue Mountains fires are now moving towards the populated Blackheath and Mt Victoria areas. Many residents say they are preparing to evacuate, and pictures have certainly showed the fire conditions there worsening in the past hour or two.In that press conference, RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons also confirmed that those Blue Mountains fires are now moving towards the populated Blackheath and Mt Victoria areas. Many residents say they are preparing to evacuate, and pictures have certainly showed the fire conditions there worsening in the past hour or two.
Looking to the coming days and weeks ahead, BOM spokeswoman says there were be thunderstorms during Christmas Eve but that won’t be “significant for fire dampening”. Air quality in the Sydney area will improve to “fair” tomorrow, rather than “hazardous” as it has been today.Looking to the coming days and weeks ahead, BOM spokeswoman says there were be thunderstorms during Christmas Eve but that won’t be “significant for fire dampening”. Air quality in the Sydney area will improve to “fair” tomorrow, rather than “hazardous” as it has been today.
Asked when NSW can expect sustained rainfall, the spokeswoman says there is nothing significant forecast for the next month or two.Asked when NSW can expect sustained rainfall, the spokeswoman says there is nothing significant forecast for the next month or two.
Fitzsimmons also said that so far in greater Sydney area conditions had not quite reached “catastrophic”.Fitzsimmons also said that so far in greater Sydney area conditions had not quite reached “catastrophic”.
“A couple of hours to go, hopefully we don’t get there.,” he says.“A couple of hours to go, hopefully we don’t get there.,” he says.
But Fitzsimmons adds: “Today has been an awful day. We have seen property impacted and lost.”But Fitzsimmons adds: “Today has been an awful day. We have seen property impacted and lost.”
Morgan also says that paramedics have received six reports of children locked in cars of the past week, which has diverted them from other work.
Dominic Morgan from Ambulance NSW says there are reports of four fire fighters who have suffered heat exhaustion. Their conditions range from minor to “quite severe”.
Fitzsimmons notes the smoke that has engulfed the greater Sydney area has effectively served as an “insulator”. He says that has been “preventing some of the temperatures getting as high we might have thought for this time of the day which is a good thing”.
Fitzsimmons says there will be improved – that is, milder – conditions including a dramatic temperature drop after today.
Hi there, Luke Henriques-Gomes here again taking over from Naaman. I’m sure I speak for all of you when I say thanks for your work here today, Naaman.
Fitzsimmons says there are no reports of serious injuries. One firefighter needed treatment at the fire near Balmoral.
There are also reports of homes being damaged or destroyed near Lithgow and reports of fires approaching buildings in Balmoral.
NSW RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons is providing a briefing as we speak. There are new fires, including south of Nowra, and another south of Tumut which began around noon. It’s believed that fire was sparked by a torched car.
He says major roads impacted by the fires include the Princes highway heading south, the Hume highway heading south from Sydney, and the Great Western highway heading out of Sydney.
The SA premier, Steven Marshall, has cancelled his own planned Christmas holiday, according to AAP.
Marshall had been scheduled to leave this week for a holiday in New Zealand. But he said today he would stay in Adelaide while the fire emergency was active.
“My focus at the moment is not on my Christmas holidays,” he said earlier. “It’s trying to make sure we get through this difficult period.”
There are reports now that NSW departmental employees have been telling people at evacuation centres not to speak to media.
That’s even if the residents are happy to talk.
The ABC’s Isobel Roe, Selby Stewart and Rhett Burnie have all shared their experiences of this happening yesterday.
Staff at the centres were welcoming, they clarify.
AAP reports that tonight’s Big Bash match in Canberra may be called off due to smoke.
Haze resulting from bushfires will be discussed in the pre-match medical briefing at Manuka Oval, where the game between Sydney Thunder and Adelaide Strikers is slated to start at 6.10pm AEDT, AAP reports.
If visibility is too poor and/or Air Quality Index (AQI) data is too alarming, then play will not go ahead. The pre-match briefing at Manuka Oval is due to take place at 5.10pm AEDT on Saturday night.