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Australia fires live: Mallacoota fire in Victoria turns sky black as NSW faces bushfires threat - latest updates Australia fires live: Mallacoota fire in Victoria turns sky black as NSW faces bushfires threat - latest updates
(30 minutes later)
Conditions worsen with more than 4,000 on the beach at Mallacoota in Victoria after a devastating day yesterday and the death of a firefighter in New South Wales. Follow live news and latest updatesConditions worsen with more than 4,000 on the beach at Mallacoota in Victoria after a devastating day yesterday and the death of a firefighter in New South Wales. Follow live news and latest updates
Matt Manning is out on a boat, 3km from Mallacoota, waiting out the fires. He tells me there are about 30 boats out there with him, his partner, their two friends, and his dog. Most of them are locals.
“I packed the boat and prepared the boat yesterday morning. I left it tied up in the water ready to bail, and we sat it out – we were camping in the foreshore camp park. We sat it out hour by hour, and about one o’clock decided to go down to the boat until we decided to bail out to the lake.
“The glow in the sky was just unreal. We decided to pull the pin at about three o’clock. We’re pretty safe here, hopefully we don’t get any hot embers. There’s a lot of debris and ash but so far there’s no hot embers. Winds about 30-40 knots coming from the south.
“I’ve got two mates who stayed at the camp park, they didn’t want to come with us. They said they’re fine, they’re country boys and have fought a few fires. I spoke to them about 10 minutes ago, and they’re fine. A few tents have gone up.”
Barry Wear, who is camped in a caravan outside the Bairnsdale relief centre, has just heard some good news. He lives at Sarsfield, one of the communities that Daniel Andrews confirmed was hardest hit by the bushfires. About 20 houses have been lost, Wear says. But, as of this morning, his house is not one of them.
“I was sure last night that I had lost my house but this morning a neighbour knocked on my door and said my house was safe,” he said.
“I don’t know how. My house, which is cedar, and my shed with all my tools in it are still standing, but my garage – well it’s really a machinery shed – which is metal, that melted.”
Wear lives on High Street in Sarsfield and said he had been told by those who remained that all the houses on their street were safe. Others were not so lucky. Heggars Road was heavily impacted, he says.
Wear said he would not return home until it was safe. Fires are still burning around the town.
“I just brought the essentials with me,” he says, which includes two dogs and three guitars. “I have enough food in the fridge and two casks of wine. Well, one – I finished one last night.”
Along with thousands of other Canberrans, I am holidaying on the NSW south coast – as I have done ever year since I can remember. At 6am I was woken by a text to evacuate. We fled south to Moruya, with nearby Mogo – perhaps 5km from the sea – alight. We had been warned that today would be bad, but the overnight fire spread exceeded the worst estimations.
The otherwise sleepy town of Moruya was soon bustling with locals and holidaymakers, dazed and concerned as we saw the giant smoke front head in our direction. People were glued to their phones, constantly refreshing the live fire map, wondering if their house was burning while we were stranded in the car parks, green spaces and the public pool of Moruya, helpless. As the sky became darker the mood soured; at one point we could see flames speed down a ridge in the distance.
But amid the gloom, there were bright spots of humanity. The pool gave out ice creams, a local Thai restaurant cooked free meals. Strangers swapped anecdotes and the latest information.
For decades, Canberrans and locals have made happy summer memories on the south coast. Now we are stuck in a nightmare.
Apocalyptic scenes in Batemans Bay on the NSW south coast. Residents huddled on the beach similar to Mallacoota in Victoria.Apocalyptic scenes in Batemans Bay on the NSW south coast. Residents huddled on the beach similar to Mallacoota in Victoria.
Fitzsimmons also says that fires are stretching all the way from Nowra to the Victorian border.Fitzsimmons also says that fires are stretching all the way from Nowra to the Victorian border.
And the southerly change coming will make things worse, spreading fires – previously heading east – in a northerly direction. This poses “an additional threat” to populations, he says.And the southerly change coming will make things worse, spreading fires – previously heading east – in a northerly direction. This poses “an additional threat” to populations, he says.
The scope of these fires is huge.The scope of these fires is huge.
“Anywhere from Nowra down to the Victorian border, right out to places like Tumut and Tumbarumba, across the ranges – we’re seeing aggressive and dangerous fire behaviour,” Fitzsimmons says.“Anywhere from Nowra down to the Victorian border, right out to places like Tumut and Tumbarumba, across the ranges – we’re seeing aggressive and dangerous fire behaviour,” Fitzsimmons says.
This is Naaman Zhou taking over the blog from Luke Henriques-Gomes, who has done some incredible work today.This is Naaman Zhou taking over the blog from Luke Henriques-Gomes, who has done some incredible work today.
In that press conference, the NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, also confirmed there was “significant impact, damage and destruction” on the NSW south coast, including schools hit by fire.In that press conference, the NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, also confirmed there was “significant impact, damage and destruction” on the NSW south coast, including schools hit by fire.
“We’re seeing fire impacting onto communities, people’s homes and other infrastructure,” he said, in towns like Cobargo, Broulee, Mogo and Fishermans Paradise.“We’re seeing fire impacting onto communities, people’s homes and other infrastructure,” he said, in towns like Cobargo, Broulee, Mogo and Fishermans Paradise.
“We’ve had reports of schools impacted. We’ve had reports of businesses and some of the small town centres being impacted by these fires.”“We’ve had reports of schools impacted. We’ve had reports of businesses and some of the small town centres being impacted by these fires.”
Shane Fitzsimmons is asked if this is the worst bushfire season on record for New South Wales.Shane Fitzsimmons is asked if this is the worst bushfire season on record for New South Wales.
He replies: “Yes. Absolutely.”He replies: “Yes. Absolutely.”
Fitzsimmons says there are three people unaccounted for on the south coast. That is two people at Cobargo and one at Belowra.
These are “potential fatalities” and it is believed that these people were “impacted by the fire”.
It is not yet safe to access the scene and so authorities cannot provide more information.
Fitzsimmons says NSW authorities have no plans for evacuations by water at this stage but they are watching the situation.
Some updates from people on the ground in Mallacoota.
And this was posted a little earlier – and it involves a lot of swearing.
From the Victorian premier’s press conference earlier.
Fitzsimmons says there is a fire burning right across the Princes Highway towards Batemans Bay.
We have been seeing some very concerning images coming out of that popular holiday spot.
The NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, is addressing the media.
There are eight fires burning at emergency level right now, he says.
The most impacted areas, according to reports, are Cobargo, Broulee to Mogo and Fishermans Paradise.
More from the Cobargo area.
Meanwhile, in NSW, there are some concerning images from Bateman’s Bay.
Here is what we know so far.
16 fires are burning at emergency level across Australia, eight in Victoria and eight in NSW, with the entire East Gippsland region under an emergency alert.
One firefighter has died overnight, and others injured, in a “freakish weather event” near Albury, described as a “fire tornado” that overturned a 10-tonne truck on flat, stable ground.
In Victoria, four people are missing, and premier Daniel Andrews said authorities “have real fears for their safety”.
4,000 residents have been evacuated from the town of Mallacoota and are sheltering on the foreshore, as the firefront hit properties this morning. Photos taken from 9am showed the sky pitch black.
Victoria’s emergency services commissioner, Andrew Crisp, confirmed “significant property losses across all of East Gippsland”.
5,700 homes are without power in East Gippsland, and more than 200,000ha have been burned.
200 new fires started on Monday, and 60 new fires started from midnight until now. These conditions were worse than predicted, and the bureau of meteorology will be updating its forecast to be worse than originally thought.
In NSW, residents of Cobargo were evacuated as the firefront reached the town and impacted homes.
People in bushfire prone areas between Batemans Bay and Bega, and also the south coast town of Tathra, have also been told to evacuate.