Fire fighters battle more than 90 bushfires burning across NSW Unprecedented bushfires have brought traffic to a standstill, destroyed homes and left people trapped causing “apocalyptic” scenes.
This picture taken by Kelly-ann Oosterbeek shows a fire near in Harrington, some 335 kilometres northeast of Sydney. Picture: Kelly-ann Oosterbeek / AFPSource:AFP
On Friday evening the NSW Rural Fire Service reported 96 fires burning with 15 of them at emergency level, mostly across the north coast and northern NSW from the Blue Mountains to the Queensland border.
NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said he had previously only seen six to eight emergency-level blazes at once, meaning the current situation is “unprecedented”. Conditions are expected to worsen on Friday evening
“Unfortunately we are in uncharted territory this afternoon – we’ve never seen this many fires concurrently at emergency warning level,” he said.
“It’s a very dynamic, it’s a very volatile and it’s a very dangerous set of circumstances that we’re experiencing.”
There have been multiple reports of people trapped in property with at least two homes already destroyed and fears of many more to come.
Commissioner Fitzsimmons said there were reports of “multiple community areas being impacted, loss, damage and destruction”. There were also some early reports of injuries yet to be confirmed, and some minor injuries to firefighters.
More than 1000 firefighters and 70 aircraft had been deployed “to save as many people as possible”.
“Today has been a difficult and dangerous day. Unfortunately, many people have called for help but due to the size and speed of the fires we couldn’t get to everyone, even by road or helicopter,” the Rural Fire Service said at 7:15pm on Friday.
The Pacific Highway has been shut down between Taree and Bulahdelah and Port Macquarie between the Oxley Highway and Hastings River Drive as a result of the fires. The New England Highway has also been closed between Glen Innes and Tenterfield.
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This picture taken by Kelly-ann Oosterbeek shows a fire near in Harrington, some 335 kilometres northeast of Sydney. Picture: Kelly-ann Oosterbeek / AFPSource:AFP
A residential area is threatened by flames northeast of Sydney. Picture: Kelly-ann OosterbeekSource:AFP
MThe fire has crossed the Pacific Highway. Picture: Nine News/Channel 9Source:Channel
Northbound traffic is now backed up for more than a kilometre on the Pacific Highway near Nabiac.
The road is closed at the Failford Road intersection, due to bushfire activity in the area.
One resident in the small town of Bobin, near Taree, posted on social media that the school was on fire and at least one resident was trapped. There are potential fatalities at nearby Rainbow Flat, according to Seven News.
Commissioner Fitzsimmons says there are reports of “multiple community areas being impacted, loss, damage and destruction”.
“There are some preliminary reports of injuries that have still got to be validated and some minor injuries to some firefighters,” the commissioner said in an online video.
“We are going into a phase where the winds are going to be somewhat relentless into the evening.”
NSW Rural Fire Service said they are un “uncharted territory” with the flames. Picture: AAP Image/Dan HimbrechtsSource:AAP
Residents and firefighters fight a bushfire that has threatened homes in Rainbow Flat on NSW Mid North Coast. Photo: Jeremy PiperSource:News Corp Australia
QUEENSLAND ALSO HIT
More than 50 bushfires were also burning across Queensland on Friday afternoon at one point with residents warned to grab their pets and take cover.
Police declared an emergency at Cooroibah and evacuated part of it as a fire threatened homes.
Noosa Mayor Tony Wellington said the situation was “very volatile” early on Friday night.
The fast-moving fire was keeping emergency services on their toes as the winds were changing direction, he said.
“It’s going to be a long night, it’s going to be a distressing night,” Mr Wellington said. “My sympathies go out to everyone.” Noosa Pet Resort proprietor Pat Cutting had 40 dogs, six cats and her 80-year- old mother to evacuate.
“At the moment we’re hosing everything and we’re ready to get all the animals out of here,” she told AAP as she got ready to go.
“The rural fire brigade is on the corner. If they come down the driveway it’ll be ‘yep, let’s go’.” People in the path of a blaze at Tarome, in the Scenic Rim area, also left, some to nearby Aratula, after being warned they were in danger.
NSW Rural Fire Service work to protect property in Woodford NSW. Picture: AAP Image/Dan HimbrechtsSource:AAP
RESIDENTS WARNED TO TAKE COVER
People who are trapped are being advised to stay inside and take cover until the fire front passes.
Multiple homes have been destroyed in the blazes but the extent of the damage is not yet known.
Some of the fires are so intense they are creating their own weather conditions and causing “pyrocumulous” clouds to develop. These types of clouds can even create their own thunderstorms and result in dry lightning.
RFS said these are “extremely dangerous” and warned people not to be caught out in the open.
Ben Domensino@Ben_Domensino
Hot air and thick smoke rising above the NSW fires is causing pyrocumulus clouds to form over the state’s northeast. These clouds are capable of creating their own wind and sometimes thunderstorms.
MidCoast Council mayor David West says he’s anguished as residents brace themselves in the face of volatile fire conditions near Taree.
“From my personal perspective, it’s horrifying,” he told AAP on Friday afternoon.
“I’ve never felt a sense of anguish that I do now, the fear for my community.”
Photo taken of the bushfire raging at Port Macquarie. Picture: Jack Begbie/TwitterSource:Twitter
The bushfire seen from an aged care centre in Forster. Picture: Jacki Pocock/FacebookSource:Facebook
Mr West said a fire near Forster threatened a council building on Thursday night.
“It was literally a wall of yellow, horrible, beastly, tormenting flames,” the mayor said.
“It was a horrendous beast.”
The NSW Rural Fire Service has issued more than a dozen emergency warnings for multiple fires across the state today.
“There are a large number of fires burning across the north coast and northern NSW areas, in the Tenterfield, Armidale, Clarence Valley, Port Macquarie, Nambucca, Kempsey and Mid-Coast,” NSW RFS said in a Facebook post.
“These fires are very dangerous. If you are near these fires, your life is at risk and you need to take action to protect your life.”
The fires can be seen from space. Picture: NASA Earth ObservatorySource:Supplied
Hot, windy conditions are wreaking havoc as bushfires burn out of control across parts of NSW, with 14 current emergency warnings in the state. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)Source:AAP
EMERGENCY WARNINGS IN PLACE
A bushfire covering more than 4300 hectares is burning out of control on Hillville Rd at Hillville, near Taree, and in the Talawahl Nature Reserve. The fire has crossed the Pacific Highway and is heading east.
People in Coates Trail, Possum Brush and Rainbow Flat were earlier told to leave and head towards Tuncurry. Residents are now being warned to take shelter as the fire approaches.
Another out of control fire in Torrington is burning on Gulf Rd and has destroyed more than 29,000 hectares.
People in the areas of Torrington, Silent Grove, Wolfram Hill, Tungsten, Maids Valley and Mole River are being urged to seek shelter as the fire approaches and follow their bushfire plans.
There is also an emergency warning in place for a fire at Willi Willi National Park near Kempsey, which has burnt more than 4100 hectares.
People in the area of Toorumbee Road have been told its “too late to leave” and to seek shelter in a solid structure.
The fire at Crowdy Bay National Park area has burnt more than 6500 hectares and is spreading towards the Harrington area. Firefighters and aircraft are working to protect homes from the blaze.
A Forster resident told news.com.au that a fire had been burning for a few days nearby but conditions became a lot worse yesterday causing it to flare up.
“It has truly been so wild,” she said. “I never thought it would happen somewhere so suburban.”
EMERGENCY WARNING: Bills Crossing Crowdy (Mid-Coast LGA)
The fire is spreading to the Harrington area, as firefighters and aircraft work to protect homes. If you are in Crowdy Head or Harrington, monitor conditions and seek shelter if the fire impacts.
Multiple homes have reportedly been destroyed across the Port Macquarie, Hastings and Walcha areas.
NSW RFS warned that today’s conditions are extremely dangerous and “will be worse than yesterday”.
“[There is a] very real potential of fires spreading quickly to threaten communities and destroy homes,” the RFS said in a Facebook post.
Five total fire bans are in place across the state today including the Far North Coast, New England, North Coast, Northern Slopes and Greater Hunter regions.
Commissioner Fitzsimmons said bush and grassfires are currently burning through about 370,000 hectares of land across NSW – more than the entire land area burnt last year.
A water bombing plane drops fire retardant on a bushfire at Forster. Picture: Dan Kirkman, Something Visual/AAPSource:AAP
A water bombing helicopter is seen through a smoke haze in Forster. Picture: Dan Kirkman, Something Visual/AAPSource:AAP
“We’ve got a lot of uncontrolled fire right across northeastern NSW and we’ve got the worst of the weather forecast for northeast NSW today, five areas in total (with a) fire ban,” Mr Fitzsimmons told ABC.
“We’re talking about widespread, severe fire dangers being predicted today, we’re talking about the upper end of the scale – a lot worse than yesterday.”
The escalated fire risk comes after a man, aged in his 50s, suffered serious burns to his legs and hands while trying to defend his rural property in Yarrowitch, east of Walcha, on Thursday.
“We need people to be absolutely prepared – we need them to be monitoring local radio, the (RFS) website,” Mr Fitzsimmons said.
“The entire corner of northeast NSW is really vulnerable, simply because of the extraordinary fire behaviour and activity yesterday and overnight.”
Source:news.com.au/national/nsw
Fire fighters battle more than 90 bushfires burning across NSW Unprecedented bushfires have brought traffic to a standstill, destroyed homes and left people trapped causing “apocalyptic” scenes.
This picture taken by Kelly-ann Oosterbeek shows a fire near in Harrington, some 335 kilometres northeast of Sydney. Picture: Kelly-ann Oosterbeek / AFPSource:AFP
On Friday evening the NSW Rural Fire Service reported 96 fires burning with 15 of them at emergency level, mostly across the north coast and northern NSW from the Blue Mountains to the Queensland border.
NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said he had previously only seen six to eight emergency-level blazes at once, meaning the current situation is “unprecedented”. Conditions are expected to worsen on Friday evening
“Unfortunately we are in uncharted territory this afternoon – we’ve never seen this many fires concurrently at emergency warning level,” he said.
“It’s a very dynamic, it’s a very volatile and it’s a very dangerous set of circumstances that we’re experiencing.”
There have been multiple reports of people trapped in property with at least two homes already destroyed and fears of many more to come.
Commissioner Fitzsimmons said there were reports of “multiple community areas being impacted, loss, damage and destruction”. There were also some early reports of injuries yet to be confirmed, and some minor injuries to firefighters.
More than 1000 firefighters and 70 aircraft had been deployed “to save as many people as possible”.
“Today has been a difficult and dangerous day. Unfortunately, many people have called for help but due to the size and speed of the fires we couldn’t get to everyone, even by road or helicopter,” the Rural Fire Service said at 7:15pm on Friday.
The Pacific Highway has been shut down between Taree and Bulahdelah and Port Macquarie between the Oxley Highway and Hastings River Drive as a result of the fires. The New England Highway has also been closed between Glen Innes and Tenterfield.
m
This picture taken by Kelly-ann Oosterbeek shows a fire near in Harrington, some 335 kilometres northeast of Sydney. Picture: Kelly-ann Oosterbeek / AFPSource:AFP
A residential area is threatened by flames northeast of Sydney. Picture: Kelly-ann OosterbeekSource:AFP
MThe fire has crossed the Pacific Highway. Picture: Nine News/Channel 9Source:Channel
Northbound traffic is now backed up for more than a kilometre on the Pacific Highway near Nabiac.
The road is closed at the Failford Road intersection, due to bushfire activity in the area.
One resident in the small town of Bobin, near Taree, posted on social media that the school was on fire and at least one resident was trapped. There are potential fatalities at nearby Rainbow Flat, according to Seven News.
Commissioner Fitzsimmons says there are reports of “multiple community areas being impacted, loss, damage and destruction”.
“There are some preliminary reports of injuries that have still got to be validated and some minor injuries to some firefighters,” the commissioner said in an online video.
“We are going into a phase where the winds are going to be somewhat relentless into the evening.”
NSW Rural Fire Service said they are un “uncharted territory” with the flames. Picture: AAP Image/Dan HimbrechtsSource:AAP
Residents and firefighters fight a bushfire that has threatened homes in Rainbow Flat on NSW Mid North Coast. Photo: Jeremy PiperSource:News Corp Australia
QUEENSLAND ALSO HIT
More than 50 bushfires were also burning across Queensland on Friday afternoon at one point with residents warned to grab their pets and take cover.
Police declared an emergency at Cooroibah and evacuated part of it as a fire threatened homes.
Noosa Mayor Tony Wellington said the situation was “very volatile” early on Friday night.
The fast-moving fire was keeping emergency services on their toes as the winds were changing direction, he said.
“It’s going to be a long night, it’s going to be a distressing night,” Mr Wellington said. “My sympathies go out to everyone.” Noosa Pet Resort proprietor Pat Cutting had 40 dogs, six cats and her 80-year- old mother to evacuate.
“At the moment we’re hosing everything and we’re ready to get all the animals out of here,” she told AAP as she got ready to go.
“The rural fire brigade is on the corner. If they come down the driveway it’ll be ‘yep, let’s go’.” People in the path of a blaze at Tarome, in the Scenic Rim area, also left, some to nearby Aratula, after being warned they were in danger.
NSW Rural Fire Service work to protect property in Woodford NSW. Picture: AAP Image/Dan HimbrechtsSource:AAP
RESIDENTS WARNED TO TAKE COVER
People who are trapped are being advised to stay inside and take cover until the fire front passes.
Multiple homes have been destroyed in the blazes but the extent of the damage is not yet known.
Some of the fires are so intense they are creating their own weather conditions and causing “pyrocumulous” clouds to develop. These types of clouds can even create their own thunderstorms and result in dry lightning.
RFS said these are “extremely dangerous” and warned people not to be caught out in the open.
Ben Domensino@Ben_Domensino
Hot air and thick smoke rising above the NSW fires is causing pyrocumulus clouds to form over the state’s northeast. These clouds are capable of creating their own wind and sometimes thunderstorms.
MidCoast Council mayor David West says he’s anguished as residents brace themselves in the face of volatile fire conditions near Taree.
“From my personal perspective, it’s horrifying,” he told AAP on Friday afternoon.
“I’ve never felt a sense of anguish that I do now, the fear for my community.”
Photo taken of the bushfire raging at Port Macquarie. Picture: Jack Begbie/TwitterSource:Twitter
The bushfire seen from an aged care centre in Forster. Picture: Jacki Pocock/FacebookSource:Facebook
Mr West said a fire near Forster threatened a council building on Thursday night.
“It was literally a wall of yellow, horrible, beastly, tormenting flames,” the mayor said.
“It was a horrendous beast.”
The NSW Rural Fire Service has issued more than a dozen emergency warnings for multiple fires across the state today.
“There are a large number of fires burning across the north coast and northern NSW areas, in the Tenterfield, Armidale, Clarence Valley, Port Macquarie, Nambucca, Kempsey and Mid-Coast,” NSW RFS said in a Facebook post.
“These fires are very dangerous. If you are near these fires, your life is at risk and you need to take action to protect your life.”
The fires can be seen from space. Picture: NASA Earth ObservatorySource:Supplied
Hot, windy conditions are wreaking havoc as bushfires burn out of control across parts of NSW, with 14 current emergency warnings in the state. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)Source:AAP
EMERGENCY WARNINGS IN PLACE
A bushfire covering more than 4300 hectares is burning out of control on Hillville Rd at Hillville, near Taree, and in the Talawahl Nature Reserve. The fire has crossed the Pacific Highway and is heading east.
People in Coates Trail, Possum Brush and Rainbow Flat were earlier told to leave and head towards Tuncurry. Residents are now being warned to take shelter as the fire approaches.
Another out of control fire in Torrington is burning on Gulf Rd and has destroyed more than 29,000 hectares.
People in the areas of Torrington, Silent Grove, Wolfram Hill, Tungsten, Maids Valley and Mole River are being urged to seek shelter as the fire approaches and follow their bushfire plans.
There is also an emergency warning in place for a fire at Willi Willi National Park near Kempsey, which has burnt more than 4100 hectares.
People in the area of Toorumbee Road have been told its “too late to leave” and to seek shelter in a solid structure.
The fire at Crowdy Bay National Park area has burnt more than 6500 hectares and is spreading towards the Harrington area. Firefighters and aircraft are working to protect homes from the blaze.
A Forster resident told news.com.au that a fire had been burning for a few days nearby but conditions became a lot worse yesterday causing it to flare up.
“It has truly been so wild,” she said. “I never thought it would happen somewhere so suburban.”
EMERGENCY WARNING: Bills Crossing Crowdy (Mid-Coast LGA)
The fire is spreading to the Harrington area, as firefighters and aircraft work to protect homes. If you are in Crowdy Head or Harrington, monitor conditions and seek shelter if the fire impacts.