'
More than a dozen NSW homes have been lost as firefighters battle the blazes amid extreme heat
International

More than a dozen NSW homes have been lost as firefighters battle the blazes amid extreme heat

author
3 minutes, 18 seconds Read

Several homes have been destroyed in NSW as fires swept through bushland in heatwave-induced conditions.
Emergency warnings were issued for residents near fires on the NSW Central Coast and in the Hunter region on Saturday, as 75 fires burned across the state.
At least twelve homes are believed to have been destroyed by a bushfire in Koolewong, not far from the built-up area of ​​the Central Coast.
More properties were believed to have been affected in Buladelah, north of Newcastle, although fire experts had not yet assessed the full extent of the damage.

NSW Premier Chris Minns described the unfolding situation as a “challenging day for NSW firefighters”.

On Friday evening, smoke from the Bulahdelah area drifted across the Lower Hunter, Central Coast and into Sydney.

“We must do everything we can to protect lives,” he told reporters.

More than 1,000 firefighters are trying to contain 19 out-of-control fires, with the help of 300 vehicles and nine aircraft.
An emergency warning for Koolewong has been downgraded to watch and action, although the fire has since spread south to Woy Woy Bay Road and Phegans Bay.
NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Trent Curtin said the fire had moved very quickly to properties on Saturday after starting in park areas.

Firefighters responded quickly to the fire in Koolewong, but by the time trucks arrived several houses were already on fire.

Firefighters with hoses near fire engines and trees.

Firefighters responded quickly to the fire in Koolewong, but by the time trucks arrived several houses were already on fire. Source: MONKEY / Then Himbrechts

Gosford MP Liesl Tesch said the fires had devastated the community.

She added that the location would make it difficult for emergency services to access affected properties as some driveways are so steep that even a car would struggle to get up.
“It’s a very difficult location to get to,” she told ABC News.
Temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius in parts of Sydney and elsewhere in NSW on Saturday, with heatwave warnings for several densely populated areas.
The mercury in some inland areas approached 44 degrees Celsius.
The Hunter and mid-north coast regions were of particular interest to firefighters as windy conditions were expected to fuel existing fires.
The Milsons Gully fire in the Upper Hunter also reached emergency level on Saturday.
A total fire ban was in place across Sydney and many parts of central NSW as forecast thunderstorms risk sparking more fires, with winds of up to 90km/h expected in some areas.

Hot, west-northwesterly winds could cause erratic and variable fire danger, said Dean Narramore of the Bureau of Meteorology.

“Dry lightning is also a risk in some of our storms across NSW and that could cause more fires across the state,” he said.
The inner north of the state, between Cobar and Tamworth, had the highest risk of thunderstorms, including damaging winds and hail.
A cool change moving through Victoria and southern NSW is not expected to bring relief to the Central Coast and northern NSW until late Sunday morning and into the afternoon.

Central and western parts of Queensland and areas of northern Western Australia also sweated in mild conditions.

More than a dozen properties damaged in Tasmania

In Tasmania, more than a dozen homes and cabins, outbuildings and cars were damaged and two firefighters were injured Friday as they battled an out-of-control blaze at Dolphin Sands on the state’s east coast.
Crews in Tasmania continue to investigate the cause as they deploy air and ground tankers to contain the fire, which has destroyed more than 700 hectares.
While fire warnings have been downgraded, Tasmania’s fire brigade has urged people not to return.
Some residents are expected to be without power for a week after TasNetworks confirmed serious fire damage to dozens of electricity poles in the Dolphin Sands area.
But cooler temperatures and showers tempered conditions across the island state on Saturday, bringing relief and even snow in some places.

#dozen #NSW #homes #lost #firefighters #battle #blazes #extreme #heat

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *