Welcome to The Weekend Australian’s live coverage of the unfolding bushfire emergency. After yesterday’s heatwave and destructive cool change, authorities in NSW, Victoria and South Australia are assessing widespread damage while firefighters continue to battle major blazes.
7.45pm: SA still on alert
SA Country Fire Service deputy chief officer Andrew Stark said there were still concerns for a fire burning on the western end of Kangaroo Island where one house was confirmed lost, AAP reports.
Mr Stark said the losses there were likely to rise considering assessment teams had not yet been able to access some areas.
Mr Marshall said the total damage bill from the SA fires, which were sparked during catastrophic conditions on Friday, was likely to be very significant. But he said the focus now remained on bringing the remaining areas of concern under control.
He said the government was also working on the appointment of a disaster recovery co-ordinator.
The premier said if there was any good news to come from the current situation It was the fact that there were no reports of further fatalities after confirmation 69-year-old Ron Selth died while trying to defend his property at Charleston.
A further three people remained in hospital with burns, one of those in a serious condition.
Across the whole of SA, the area burnt by the fires remained at 40,000 hectares. Mr Stark said despite the widespread damage, there was feeling of gratitude from the community for the work done by emergency services over the past three days. “Amongst the sadness for the loss there is great relief and thankfulness from the community for the work that all the fire agencies have done to protect lives and properties,” he said.
But he said the CFS still had concerns about the number of people who stayed to try to defend their properties.
“We know that some people chose to stay and defend and while they may have been successful, the people that I have spoken to have said they will never stay again under those conditions,” he said.
“When we have catastrophic conditions in the Adelaide Hills the risk to lives and property is at its greatest.
— AAP
6.30pm: ‘Significant’ property lost in NSW
Bushfires that ripped through NSW in catastrophic conditions have all but wiped out a small village and there are fears 100 more buildings have been destroyed across the state, AAP reports.
NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says the extent of property damage, which includes houses as well as other structures such as sheds, is “significant”.
“We could be talking about another hundred buildings being added to the state tally so far this season,” he told reporters on Sunday.
Most of the losses were from the huge Gospers Mountain blaze northwest of Sydney, the Green Wattle Creek fire southwest of the city and the Currowan bushfire on the South Coast.
Emergency warnings weren’t downgraded until the early hours of Sunday morning. “We are expecting another heavy toll unfortunately with estimates that property loss could be in the dozens of buildings including homes, outbuildings, sheds and businesses,” Mr Fitzsimmons said.
The areas hardest hit include Lithgow and along the Bells Line of Road in the upper Blue Mountains, and the Wollondilly Shire villages of Buxton, Balmoral and Bargo, which were ravaged for the second time in three days. Premier Gladys Berejiklian says “there’s not much left” in the small town of Balmoral, southwest of Sydney.
Balmoral, in the Wingecarribee Shire Council area, consists of about 150 houses with a population of some 400 people.
The Currawong blaze north of Batemans Bay also raced through communities near Nerriga on Saturday, Mr Fitzsimmons said.
One elderly man unaccounted for in the Dargan area east of Lithgow was located on Sunday morning “safe and sound”, the RFS tweeted.
The man was at an evacuation centre the entire time.
Crews are expected to experience more favourable weather conditions in coming days as they work to limit the spread of some 110 fires, of which almost 60 are uncontained.
Mr Fitzsimmons said firefighters would take advantage of better conditions this week, which should include temperatures in the mid-20s, higher humidity and easterly winds.
The biggest focus will be on preparing vulnerable Blue Mountains communities ahead of hotter and more challenging conditions returning next weekend. “With the easing weather conditions today, crews are working hard to strengthen containment lines,” the RFS said in a statement on Sunday.
“Planning is underway for large scale back burns today in the Blue Mountains to contain the Grose Valley Fire.” The Greater Sydney basin didn’t reach the forecast catastrophic conditions on Saturday because heavy bushfire smoke acted as insulation to reduce temperatures.
The heavy smoke - which has been causing hazardous air pollution for months - also mitigated the strengthening winds.
“It was a blessing in terms of preventing the catastrophic conditions reaching their forecast level in the Greater Sydney area,” Mr Fitzsimmons said. Firefighters suffered from heat exhaustion on Saturday, with one crew in the Dargan area overcome by chlorine fumes after a building containing the chemical caught alight.
A number of firefighters were taken to hospital for treatment. Mr Fitzsimmons warned the worse was still to come this summer, with “far more risk and exposure as we head through the hotter months”.
“We’re not expecting any meaningful rain to start bringing a meaningful easing of conditions on these fire grounds until late January or early February,” he said.
— AAP
5pm: 72 homes lost in South Australia
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall has provided an update on the situation in his state, where 72 homes have been lost and one person is dead as a result of the Cudlee Creek fire in the Adelaide Hills.
“This is a very sad day for the people of South Australia as many return to their homes in the Adelaide Hills… and all they find is rubble,” Mr Marshall said. “It’s absolutely devastating.”
In addition, 404 outbuildings and 227 vehicles have been lost.
The Cudlee Creek fire broke out on Friday and has razed more than 25,000 hectares.
Damage assessment is underway at Kangaroo Island, where eight fires were sparked by dry lightning yesterday.
Local media has named engineer Ron Selth, 69, as the man killed in the fire when it engulfed his home at Charleston.
Prominent horseracing identity John Glatz is fighting for life in hospital after being badly burned trying to defend his property from the same fire on Saturday.
4pm: Repreive for Victorian firefighters
Bushfires in Victoria’s East Gippsland have been downgraded as firefighters get a leg up on blazes thanks to milder weather conditions.
A watch and act warning remains active on Sunday for Tambo Crossing, Wattle Circle and Stirling, while the bushfire at Marthavale-Barmouth Spur is still not under control.
“Emergency Services may not be able to help you if you decide to stay,” the VicEmergency website states.
Fire crews have managed to get a handle on two blazes with warnings lowered to advice across Goroke, Lawloit, Little Desert, Peronne, Burnbank, Evansford and surrounding towns.
One of the fires, the Lexton-Ben Major bushfire in the vicinity of Mt Lonarch, has been contained after burning through 2711 hectares, and an advice warning in place.
A town in the state's west has come close to being destroyed by bushfire. Hundreds were evacuated when a last-minute wind change saved them from disaster. https://t.co/5zYfOfohG3 @pauldowsley7 #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/TU5qiilhTU
— 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) December 21, 2019
It comes as the temperature took a dip on Sunday with about 24C forecast in Tambo Crossing, and a milder 22C in Melbourne, after a top of 44C in the Victorian capital.
The bushfires have been burning since November 21 but flared up on Saturday after a cool change came through and brought dry lightning strikes. A relief centre has been set up at the Omeo Memorial Hall, 60 kilometres north, for people affected while generators have been set-up to restore power and services.
Hundreds of firefighters on the ground and in the air have been working across the state to contain the fires, which are concentrated in steep and largely inaccessible terrain.
AAP
Greg Brown 3.30pm: PM consoles widows and children of dead firefighters
Scott Morrison has met the families of two volunteer firefighters who died on Thursday night in a blaze southwest of Sydney.
Mr Morrison consoled the widows and children of Geoff Keaton and Andrew O’Dwyer, who were killed when a tree fell on their truck while they were battling to contain the Green Wattle Creek fire tearing through Wollondilly shire.
He also spoke with RFS volunteers at the fire station at Horsley Park who battled fires alongside the deceased men.
A GoFundMe campaign for the families of the two men has raised $267,000 in just two days, in addition to a separate fundraising campaign being run by NSW RFS.
3.15pm: Man missing near Lithgow
NSW Police say a man is missing from the rural village of Bell after a huge bushfire tore through the Lithgow area destroying dozens of buildings. The man in his 60 or 70s lives on a remote property in Bell and the area was engulfed in fire on Saturday, NSW Police Chief Inspector Chris Sammut said on Sunday.
Another elderly man who had been missing from neighbouring Dargan has been located “safe and sound”, the Rural Fire Service tweeted on Sunday morning. He was found at an evacuation centre in Lithgow which was threatened by the huge Gospers Mountain megafire over the weekend.
Chief Insp Sammut said the man who was still unaccounted for lived on one of the remotest properties in Bell.
“He may have self-evacuated or went to stay with friends and we want the public to let us know any information they have to assist us locate this missing person,” he told AAP.
Chief Insp Sammut confirmed up to five properties were burned in Lithgow on Saturday while about 30 buildings were lost in Clarence and Dargan. Those numbers include sheds and other structures.
AAP
3pm: Devastation at Bilpin
Pictures are starting to filter through from the Blue Mountains town of Bilpin.
The town of about 600 people has suffered extensive fire damage and the beloved Tutti Frutti Cafe has been completely destroyed.
2.30pm: Queensland may get rain for Christmas
There are currently 60 fires burning within containment lines in Queensland, where a heatwave is expected to reach its peak in the south east on Sunday.
Temperatures around the coast were expected to reach the low 30s, while west of Brisbane, around Ipswich and Gatton would see high 30s.
Parts of western Queensland would reach temperatures in the low to mid 40s, BoM says.
Very hot conditions today for SW #QLD, NTH #NSW and parts of central Aust. Temps in excess of 45C in some places - will there be any records broken? Compare daily extremes for each state (Area) at https://t.co/BYOUgriZqQ pic.twitter.com/lEh9xdKEPq
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) December 22, 2019
There are no significant fires of concern to authorities. However, there are severe fire conditions in the Central Highlands and Coalfields and Upper Flinders region in central Queensland.
BoM says the hot conditions are expected to continue, but there’s an good chance of showers and storms from Christmas Eve.
The falls could bring up to 50mm of rain in parts of southeast Queensland over two days before easing on Boxing Day.
“For the southeast we could certainly see a bit of a wet Christmas which is definitely a good thing for most people but further out west it will be pretty warm and dry,” BoM forecaster Jess Gardner says.
2.20pm: Smoke haze chokes three states
Fires in NSW are causing a smoky haze across Queensland where firefighters are facing another day of severe fire danger.
The smoke’s reach is incredibly extensive, says Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jess Gardner.
“You can see the smoke on the satellite images, certainly across the majority of Queensland and I think it’s crossing most of Australia,” she said.
Look at this smoke haze!
Southeasterly winds in NSW are pushing massive amounts of bushfire smoke up into Qld. Sydney city is getting a slight reprieve as on-shore winds move the thickest smoke further inland.https://t.co/01ztzY6iih #nswfires #qldfires pic.twitter.com/kui47FBuFo
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) December 22, 2019
Meanwhile, smoke from the Adelaide Hills bushfire had dropped the city’s air quality rating to poor.
The Environment Protection Authority says air quality readings are improving but parts of the hills and metropolitan area remain affected by bushfire smoke. The situation on Sunday was further exacerbated by an early morning temperature inversion layer which kept smoke low to the ground.
The EPA said anyone with health issues or concerns should stay inside with windows and doors closed.
2pm: Grose Valley fire downgraded
The NSW RFS has downgraded teh Grose Valley fire in the Blue Mountains to watch and act level as fire activity eases in Blackheath.
Watch and Act - Grose Valley (Blue Mountains LGA)
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) December 22, 2019
Fire activity has eased. If you're in the area of Blackheath, monitor the changing conditions. Know what you'll do if fire approaches. If you plan to leave or aren't prepared, leaving early is the safest option. #nswrfs #nswfires pic.twitter.com/SV2WmloB1D
Greg Brown 1.35pm: Fire victims get an extra $3.5m in relief
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is visiting fire-affected areas in Sydney’s southwest with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. The pair have just announced $3.5 million of extra funding for fire victims.
The councils of Wingecarribee and Wollondilly will be added to the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), with impacted businesses and farmers able to receive grants of up to $15,000.
Ms Berejiklian said the additional funding brings the total federal-state recovery fund to more than $63m.
Earlier on Sunday, the Prime Minister said climate change was “one of many factors” responsible for the fires and defended the government’s policies on the issue.
Yesterday, Minister for Emergency Management David Littleproud announced emergency relief payments of $1000 per adult and $400 per child were available to those worst-hit by the bushfires in the NSW local-government areas of Blue Mountains, Lithgow and Singleton.
The announcement comes after Mr Morrison this morning apologised to taking a family holiday to Hawaii, accepting his absence had caused anxiety for Australians.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has apologised, admitting he caused a great deal of anxiety in Australia by taking a holiday during the bushfire crisis. Mr Morrison cut his family holiday short and returned home on Saturday night after receiving widespread criticism for leaving the country. One man remains missing, and it is feared dozens of homes have been damaged or destroyed by a mega blaze burning in Upper Turon and the Blue Mountains, north-west of Sydney. Damage assessment teams will head to the fire zones on Sunday, while fire crews take advantage of cooler conditions to strengthen containment lines. Meanwhile in South Australia, financial assistance has been extended to residents affected by the bushfires under the National Disaster Recovery Fund. In Queensland, a total fire ban is in place for large parts of the state as emergency crews attempt to gain the upper hand on blazes. Temperatures are forecast to soar in areas of inland Queensland, eventually moving across the state's east coast. Around 60 fires are currently active in Queensland, with authorities monitoring eight that pose potential threats. Image: News Corp Australia
1.10pm: Balmoral all but wiped out
More information has come to hand about the situation in Balmoral.
The small village southwest of Sydney has been all but wiped out by the Green Wattle Creek firestorm. The community of about 400 people was hit twice by the fire in three days.
The community was already reeling after being overrun on Thursday, when the flames returned on Saturday.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said residents had been given the “devastating” news that there was not much left of the town.
“Very sad to hear that. Many residents have had that news in the last little while. Communities like Buxton and others have also been very hard hit,” she said.
Assessment teams are going in to determine when it will be safe for people to go home.
“If people have lost their properties they still want to go back to see what’s left and if there is anything they can salvage,” Ms Berejiklian said. “We know that’s part of the recovery. We want people to have access to their land as soon as they can but it has to be safe.”
The Liberal leader said the impact of the fire had been “shocking”.
12.38pm: 3000 homes without power in the Adelaide Hills
More than 3000 properties in the Adelaide Hills remain without power as a result of the devastating bushfire that swept through the region and continues to burn. SA Power Networks says crews are working in a number of areas to restore electricity supply.
But it says the timeframe to have all power restored is unclear, and in some cases it could take several days depending on access and the extent of the damage.
The company said it had already identified a number of spots where trees had fallen on powerlines.
“Anyone in fire-damaged areas is urged to keep clear of power poles and wires as there may still be some that haven’t been inspected,” it said. Among those without electricity are properties in Woodside, Lenswood, Mt Torrens, Charleston and Lobethal.
The Adelaide Hills fire has so far burnt out more than 25,000 hectares inside a 127-kilometre perimeter.
A watch and act warning remains in place for the blaze which has destroyed at least 15 homes.
12.15pm: ‘Not much left of Balmoral’
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the community of Balmoral, south west of Sydney has been gutted.
“There’s not much left in the town of Balmoral. That’s devastating to hear,” Ms Berejiklian told reporters during a tour of fire-affected Picton on Sunday.
Sunday Telegraph reporter Jack Morphet, RFS volunteers and townspeople seek shelter at fire brigade house when bushfires rage through Balmoral.
She said residents of the Southern Highlands town, which has a population of about 400 people, were desperate to return to assess the extent of the damage but the area had yet to be declared safe enough.
“It’s devastating not knowing whether your property is standing or not,” she said.
105 fires are currently burning in NSW.
11.30am: Grose Valley fire at emergency level
The NSW RFS has issued and emergency level warning for the Grose Valley fire in the Blue Mountains.
EMERGENCY WARNING: Grose Valley (Blue Mountains LGA)
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) December 21, 2019
Fire activity is increasing. If you are in the Blackheath area and your plan is to leave or you are not prepared, leave now towards Katoomba. #nswrfs #nswfires #alert pic.twitter.com/SChfMEvLrG
It comes as extraordinary areal footage showed the fire scaling the cliffside at frightening speed at Blackheath earlier today.
The NSW RFS has also posted incredible footage of firefighters battling a ferocious firefront at Hat Head Road in Blackheath in the early hours of Sunday morning.
This incredible video was taken by firefighters in the early hours of this morning on Hat Head Rd at #Blackheath, when the fire burnt out of the valley threatening homes. #nswrfs #nswfires pic.twitter.com/r85ccBIEeF
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) December 21, 2019
11.15am: ‘Missing’ man found safe and well
An elderly NSW man unaccounted for in the Dargan area east of Lithgow was located on Sunday morning “safe and sound”, the RFS says.
The man was at an evacuation centre the entire time.
11.10am: Cudlee Creek fire at watch and act level
Residents near Hollands Creek Road in the Adelaide Hills have been told to leave now as a watch and act alert is issued for the huge Cudlee Creek fire. The fire has an 88 kilometre perimeter and is being blamed for the death of one person at Charleston yesterday.
#Bushfire Watch and Act for #HOLLANDS_CREEK_ROAD,_CUDLEE_CREEK #fire. Take action now as this bushfire may threaten your safety. If you are not prepared, leave now and if the path is clear, go to a safer place. #WAM ID=0003793 #SAFires https://t.co/lu2qO4eCNq pic.twitter.com/9B7gM9klo2
— Country Fire Service (@CFSAlerts) December 22, 2019
11am: Communities count the cost
Authorities fear “dozens” of homes may have been lost when bushfires raged across NSW on a day of catastrophic fire danger, while a person feared missing near Lithgow has been found alive and well.
Most of the losses on Saturday were from the huge Gospers Mountain blaze northwest of Sydney, the Green Wattle Creek fire southwest of the city and the Currowan bushfire on the South Coast.
One man is missing and it is feared dozens of homes have been damaged or destroyed by a mega blaze burning in Upper Turon and the Blue Mountains, north west of Sydney. Damage Assessment Teams will head to the fire zones on Sunday, while fire crews continue to take advantage of cooler conditions to strengthen containment lines. The Prime Minister is back on Australian soil after cutting his holiday short to respond to the bush fire emergency. Meanwhile in South Australia, financial assistance has been extended to residents affected by the bushfires under the National Disaster Recovery Fund. In Queensland, a total fire ban is in place for large parts of the state as emergency crews attempt to gain the upper hand on blazes. The severe fire danger rating is forecast for the Northern Goldfields, Upper Flinders, Central Highlands and Coalfields. Temperatures are forecast to soar in areas of inland Queensland, eventually moving across the state's east coast. Around 60 fires are currently active in Queensland, with authorities monitoring eight that pose potential threats. Image: Getty
Emergency warnings weren’t downgraded until the early hours of Sunday morning. “We are expecting another heavy toll unfortunately with estimates that property loss could be in the dozens of buildings including homes, outbuildings, sheds and businesses,” NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told reporters.
The areas hardest hit include Lithgow and along the Bells Line of Road in the upper Blue Mountains, and the Wollondilly Shire villages of Buxton, Balmoral and Bargo which were ravaged for the second time in three days.
The Currawong blaze north of Batemans Bay also raced through communities near Nerriga on Saturday, Mr Fitzsimmons said
Weekend Digital Editor
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