Bushfires in Victoria’s East Gippsland have reached a extreme danger level, forcing residents and holiday-makers to evacuate ahead of a scorching day across the state.
After tens of thousands of holiday-makers were told to leave the region amid worsening fire conditions, a section of the highway connecting the easternmost part of the state with NSW was closed due to bushfire.
The road has since been re-opened, but the bushfire threatening the Wingan River area remained under an emergency warning, burning out of control 20km east of Cann River.
Emergency Victoria said the fire had increased rapidly in size and is approximately burning through 1200 hectares.
Another emergency alert remained in place for Amboyne, Bonang, Cabanandra, Deddick Valley, Dellicknora and Tubbut. The bushfire threatens lives in these communities as it travels in a northeasterly direction towards them. Emergency services had previously given a blunt safety warning to Lakes Entrance residents and about 30,000 holiday-makers visiting the area. “We are asking you to now leave East Gippsland from that area, east of Bairnsdale, along the coast there, into the parks, into the forest,” Emergency Management Victoria Commissioner Andrew Crisp told reporters on Sunday. “You should not be there (on Monday), and we want you to get out now.” Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Kevin Parkyn said a wind change in East Gippsland about midnight on Sunday night is “very problematic when it comes to fires and the landscape”.
“It’s a very serious life-threatening situation. Make no mistake about it,” he said.
Premier Daniel Andrews echoed Emergency Victoria’s advice, tweeting that visitors should leave the area and avoid travelling there on Monday. People in Goongerah and Martins Creek were also told to evacuate on Sunday as a bushfire burning east toward their communities was still out of control. A watch and act warning remained in place for Goongerah, Martins Creek, Nurran, Sardine Creek and Errinundra, which states “leaving now is the safest option” before conditions change.
A total fire ban has been declared statewide on Monday.
Extreme fire danger conditions are forecast for all regions except East Gippsland and the North East, which are expected to face severe danger levels. The combination of heat, dryness and strong wind will fuel the nasty fire conditions, coupled with the wind change expected overnight. More than 70 helicopters and planes will be working on Monday if conditions allow.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who was in Sydney announcing compensation for NSW volunteers on the fire grounds, told reporters other states were also on his mind.
“We are seeing a real difficult situation emerging in Victoria where we know of the weather conditions particularly changing over the next few days,” he said on Sunday.
“I want to assure Australians outside New South Wales ... our attention is equally there and ensuring the coordinated effort across states and territories is being put in place.” The temperature is expected to soar into the 40s across Victoria on Monday.
CATASTROPHIC FIRE RISK FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Catastrophic bushfire conditions have been forecast for three South Australian districts including the Adelaide Hills where a major blaze continues to smoulder.
Monday’s forecasts of high temperatures and rising winds have authorities fearing the worst and a possible repeat of the devastating blaze 10 days ago that burnt through 25,000 hectares and destroyed more than 80 homes. Country Fire Service chief officer Mark Jones said it was regrettable that the same conditions had returned so soon.
“Particularly when firefighters have been labouring for five days already before Christmas and for five days since Christmas in the field addressing the fire and tackling hotspots to black them out,” he said.
“The potential for hot-spot breakouts tomorrow is incredible across the whole fire zone.” Catastrophic conditions will stretch across the Adelaide Hills, through the mid- north and across to Yorke Peninsula.
Other areas of the state will have either extreme or severe warnings in place, prompting the CFS to call in extra firefighting aircraft from Victoria. The worst of the conditions will occur on Monday morning, which Mr Jones said was unusual and meant people considering leaving should be ready to make the call early.
Temperatures are forecast to reach 40C in Adelaide ahead of a cool change just after midday. That change that will bring the worst of the conditions, with wind speeds to rise to about 40km/h.
Mr Jones said Monday’s forecast winds most likely risked fire breakouts along the southern flank in the Adelaide Hills fire zone, but shifting conditions meant that the whole fire perimeter could be at risk at different times.
NSW BRACES FOR NEW FIRES AHEAD OF NYE
Bushfires are likely to flare across NSW as New Year’s Eve approaches with soaring temperatures expected to peak on the last day of 2019. Temperatures are forecast to peak on Tuesday, with the mercury likely to rise past 40C across western Sydney and in regional NSW.
NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says deteriorating bushfire weather conditions are expected over the coming days. However, he says Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks display is unlikely to be canned despite concerns about bushfires.
A total of 95 fires were burning in NSW on Sunday afternoon with 48 not contained.
Some 2300 firefighters were in the field on Sunday, using the “benign” weather to strengthen containment lines, the RFS said.
Severe fire danger ratings are in place on Monday for the southern Riverina, the southern slopes, the Monaro alpine region, the southern ranges and the far south coast.
Mr Fitzsimmons said these conditions would worsen on Tuesday. “We can expect a broad geographic area of extreme fire danger ratings, which will extend through places like the southern ranges, the Illawarra south coast and probably down through to the Monaro area, down through the high country,” he told reporters.
The RFS is concerned about the Gospers Mountain and the Grose Valley fires northwest of Sydney, the Green Wattle Creek fire southwest of Sydney, and the Currowan fire in the Shoalhaven region.
Dry lightning storms and thunderstorm activity have created a number of new fires over the weekend, Mr Fitzsimmons said.
This includes one blaze near Tarcutta in the Snowy Valleys, which was on Saturday afternoon raised to “emergency” level as it burned erratically towards the east but has since been downgraded back to “advice”.
More thunderstorm and dry lightning activity is expected on Sunday afternoon, Mr Fitzsimmons said.
“There is every prospect of new fires as we head into the deteriorating weather conditions over the coming days,” he said.
“The work of the crews in the field ... on establishing and consolidating containment lines, ahead of the deteriorating weather conditions over the next two days has been quite remarkable in this last week and particularly through Christmas Day (and) Boxing Day.” The worsening bushfire conditions are expected to result in poor air quality for Sydney on Monday.
The RFS on Sunday morning announced the Grose Valley fire, currently affecting the Blue Mountains region, had been contained following “extraordinary work” by crews over the Christmas period.
“Crews will continue to monitor containment lines over the coming days and mop up and black out any hotspots,” the RFS posted on Twitter.
The federal government, meanwhile, has announced RFS volunteers battling long- running blazes could receive up to $6000 in financial support. The payments of up to $300 per day will be available to RFS volunteers who are self-employed or work for small and medium-sized businesses. The payments will be capped at $6000 per person and tax-free. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the payments would be equivalent to 20 days of emergency leave for eligible volunteers.
“This is a very prolonged fire season,” Mr Morrison told reporters on Sunday. “This is putting additional demands on our firefighters, in particular, and it means that the turnouts and call-outs have been far more extensive than in previous years, going well and beyond and above what is normally expected of those who are engaged in volunteer service.” Two firefighters have been killed this fire season and as many as 1000 NSW houses destroyed.
WA FIRE JUMPS CONTAINMENT LINES
A bushfire burning southeast of Perth has been upgraded to an emergency warning level after the blaze jumped containment lines.
Residents are encouraged to leave for a safer place if the way is clear. The fire, burning in the Stirling Range National Park, is moving east. Emergency WA says lives and homes in the area are under threat as conditions are constantly changing.
A lightning strike sparked the blaze, which has already burnt more than 10,000 hectares of scrub.
An emergency warning had beenissued for the fire on Saturday night but was downgraded on Sunday morning.
As a result, an evacuation centre at the Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre was closed, although another at the Gnowangerup Sports Complex remains open. About 20 Parks and Wildlife Service firefighters are working to strengthen containment lines.
Another flame spread over containment lines at a mine site in regional WA has prompted a Watch and Act alert in the Shire of Coolgardie.
There is a possible threat to lives and homes as a fire is approaching and conditions are changing.
The blaze has caused the closure of the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway between Norseman and Coolgardie.
The fire has burnt 148,000 hectares and is moving in a westerly direction.
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