Fire authorities in NSW say they’ll put lives before homes as severe and extreme conditions again loom over the state and towns such as Nowra and Narooma fall directly into the line of fire.
Dangerous winds and stifling heat are expected to fan bushfires that have already killed at least 19 people, destroyed at least 1400 homes and prompted emergency declarations in two Australian states.
Almost 30 people were unaccounted for in Victoria on Friday, where disaster powers were declared and the Australian Defence Force was evacuating people from the far north-east.
NSW was on day three of week-long state of emergency, the third in as many months, as dangerous fire weather increased. Wind gusts of up to 100km/h are expected on Saturday, prompting authorities to warn conditions could be even worse than the weather that brought deadly devastation on New Year’s Eve.
Everyone in the 1300-strong town of Batlow on the fringes of Kosciuszko National Park, was ordered to leave by Thursday night, with the 130,000-hectare Dunns Road fire expected to hit on Friday.
A similar message was issued for the regional towns of Khancoban, Greg Greg and Tooma.
Elsewhere, holiday-makers in the alps and destinations between Nowra and the Victorian border were told to leave by Friday night.
The resulting rush to escape caused massive traffic queues and petrol and supply shortages.
“Go to a major centre away from those potential impact areas – it might be a large town, the beach, an area that has already been burnt, just don’t be there. We have seen how devastating the fires can be,” NSW Rural Fire Service deputy commissioner Rob Rogers said on Friday.
“We don’t want to see anybody else killed in these fires, our pure focus for tomorrow is about the preservation of life.”
RFS maps predict major regional towns, including Nowra and Narooma, and huge stretches of the Snowy Valleys will be directly in the line of fire on Saturday. Batemans Bay, Bermagui and Ulladulla will be under ember attack, as will parts of the Blue Mountains and Mittagong.
The temperature is forecast to reach 45 degrees inland and up to 43 degrees on the coast.
The weather bureau said Saturday’s winds could be even more dangerous than on last Tuesday because they were expected later in the day and would allow temperatures to climb.
On Friday, motorists were told not to travel to the NSW south coast and Snowy Mountains-Riverina areas, where fires have caused widespread power outages and major road closures.
The Princes Highway north of Batemans Bay was open again on Friday, but with a reduced speed limit.
Sections of the road south of Batemans Bay remain closed.
The Snowy Mountains Highway was open between Bega and Adaminaby, providing a route back to Sydney and Canberra for motorists on the far south coast. Visibility was poor.
The Adaminaby to Tumut section of the highway was for residents only while several other major alpine roads are exit-only or completely closed.
Zero visibility on Snowy Mts Hwy just north of Nimmitabel. Traffic crawling. @ABCemergency @abccanberra pic.twitter.com/DpKchcuaJ6
— ABCcameramatt (@ABCcameramatt) January 2, 2020
On Friday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said there were 28 people who could not be accounted for in East Gippsland.
Amphibious army vessels began ferrying evacuees from the Victorian town of Mallacoota to HMAS Choules just offshore early on Friday. nearly 1000 evacuees will be taken from Mallacoota to a port closer to Melbourne.
Final opportunity to relocate from Cann River to Bairnsdale today via bus or convoy in your own vehicle. Meet at Cann River P-12 School at 2pm this afternoon (subject to conditions) Emergency services may not be able to assist you if you choose to stay. pic.twitter.com/0qtcUT1liT
— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) January 3, 2020
It comes as fire crews in South Australia brace for extreme fire-weather conditions on Friday with temperatures expected to exceed 40 degrees.
South Australia Country Fire Service chief officer Mark Jones said the forecast was concerning because existing blazes were yet to be brought under control.
More than 140 fires are burning across NSW, with dozens uncontained and thousands of firefighters in the field.
In Sydney, the Royal National Park will be closed from Saturday until further notice, as will Heathcote National Park and other western Sydney parklands.
In Victoria about 50 fires burning in the state’s east and north-east.
There are about 20 bushfires burning in South Australia, including three significant blazes.
Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland each have more than 30 fires burning, several considered significant.
-with AAP
The post Lives before homes, fire authorities say, as deadly weather returns appeared first on The New Daily.
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