I cannot fathom how people can set fires deliberately. I don't suppose I ever will.
NEW South Wales firefighters have managed to bring most blazes burning across the state, under control, despite a change in weather hampering their efforts. Around 750 firefighters carried out an extensive backburning operation as they battled four blazes on the Central Coast, north of Sydney.
Crews have been reduced as conditions eased, with around 200 firefighters now working in the area.
The NSW Rural Fire Service said today that with the possibility of thousands of properties facing the fire threat, the total number of up to nine homes lost state-wide was testament to crews' efforts.
The fire also claimed its first related fatality, after a volunteer ambulance officer died while helping bushfire victims on the Central Coast.
St John Ambulance NSW Commissioner Warren Glenny said volunteer Mike Rozier suffered an apparent heart attack after going to Woy Woy Hospital.
Mr Rozier went to the hospital last night to get supplies of Ventolin for people suffering breathing problems as a result of the bushfires.
"The hospital staff ... questioned if he was okay and he said yes, but he collapsed a short while after," Mr Glenny told AAP today.
"He was one of those volunteers who would put his hand up on any occasion at all," he said. "He did incredible annual hours."
Three homes were destroyed and six others damaged in the Woy Woy area.
A southerly change with winds of 100km/h hit the state overnight bringing much-needed rain to both south-west NSW and the Central Coast.
Crews welcome cool conditions
January 2, 2006 - 6:24AM
Firefighters are holding back blazes threatening hundreds of homes and properties on the NSW Central Coast as weather conditions ease in the area.
A total of 120 firetrucks and more than 750 firefighters are battling to stop 30-metre flames from closing in on homes at east Kariong.
Embers from a fire about one km away are now hitting balconies, footpaths and bushes and causing spotfires at east Kariong and Tascott, with a strong southerly wind blowing flames north.
The Gosford command centre is also being threatened, Macquarie Radio reported.
However crews are being encouraged by rising humidity levels, a drop in the wind and cooler temperatures.
If the strong southerly wind eases and they can hold the fire back, they are hoping to carry out backburning from Tascott to Kariong and back to the F3 Freeway, which remains closed along with the Pacific Highway.
The F3 will remain closed all morning, with this decision being reviewed at 7am (AEDT).
Police late last night set up an assembly area at the Thornleigh Baptist Church at the intersection of Duffy Avenue and The Esplanade, Thornleigh, in Sydney's north to house drivers stranded by the closures.
In Sydney, gusty winds have resulted in the SES receiving more than 50 calls for fallen trees and damaged roofs.
Yesterday, the hottest New Year's Day recorded in Sydney and the second-hottest January day ever, fires destroyed at least three homes on the Central Coast and five houses at Junee, north of Wagga Wagga in the state's south-west.
In both areas, other homes were damaged, hundreds of people were evacuated, areas were blacked out and frustrated motorists were stranded on closed roads in 40 degree-plus conditions.
A Junee farmer was flown from Wagga Wagga to Concord Hospital in Sydney in a serious condition with burns to 60 per cent of his body.
Stock at Junee were lost to the fires and scores of residents were evacuated from the town's outskirts and the nearby township of Illabo.
A decision will be made this morning on whether up to 130 residents can return home.
Fires also damaged a home in the south coast town of Merimbula yesterday.
Soon after midday yesterday, the Central Coast north of Sydney became an inferno as temperatures rocketed into the 40s and winds of up to 60 kph fanned fires that had broken out near the town of Woy Woy and the inland settlement of Mount White.
Three homes at Woy Woy Bay were destroyed and six others were damaged as about 200 residents were ordered to evacuate when the fire bore down on their homes.
A fire station near Woy Woy and several Rural Fire Service (RFS) vehicles were also burnt out, along with a number of volunteers' cars.
CityRail's timetables were thrown into chaos and Energy Australia said about 2,500 Central Coast customers had been affected by blackouts.
Ambulance crews treated 21 people across NSW, mostly for smoke inhalation.
Authorities say they will investigate reports that some of the fires may have been deliberately lit, but say the present priority is containing the fires.
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Was talking to a mate yesterday, he is a city Fireman, he is currently on holidays, he reckons he is not answering his phone, or going anywhere near the station house, in case he becomes a "Volunteer" to go to NSW to fight bush fires. He "volunteered" last year and reckons he was away from home for 4 weeks, apparently anyone with actual rural firefighting experience gets "volunteered" first!
SA leaders are worried about a sharp decline in volunteer firefighter numbers. . . any wonder with young men (and women) leaving the rural areas in droves, just to get work. Fighting fires in country areas will become much more difficult.
DEMOCRACY = Voters deciding by Poll on who will be the local member that "Big Business" will push around.
One of last year's year 11 female students was in the McLaren Vale (I think) CFS. She was an inspiration to all of us and her experience counted towards her SACE (South Australian Certificate of Education).
FIREFIGHTERS are battling a dozen bushfires across Victoria as conditions continue to worsen with temperatures expected to reach into the 40s later in the day. Among the most threatening is a fire blazing on a 1.5 km front on Mount Misery east of Ballarat west of Melbourne between the Sunraysia Highway and the Western Highway.
The Country Fire Authority said the fire is travelling in a south easterly direction towards Ballarat.
Seven fire tankers are fighting the fire which is expected to travel more quickly when it reaches open grass lands south of Mt Misery.
Other fires still raging out of control include a fire near Moondarra, in the state's eastern Gippsland area, which 260 firefighters tried to contain overnight.
It has burnt more than 4200 hectares and is moving in an easterly direction towards the small township of Moondarra.
Moondarra and Erica residents are being advised to be vigilant and to put out embers landing around their homes.
Firefighters in the state's south west coastal region are also gearing up for some of the worst fire conditions in decades as they battle to contain two fires that have between them burnt more than 1,000 hectares.
Believed to have been ignited by lightning last Thursday, the fires are in the Mount Eccles National Park, and north of Tyrendarr.
The CFA this morning warned residents of nearby towns that if the fire jumps containment lines, it could reach them in less than an hour.
Community information meetings are being held at the Tyrendarra Recreation Reserve and at the old Bessiebelle School at 8.30am.
Twelve fires are burning across the state and a statewide total fire ban day has been declared, with temperatures expected to reach into the 40s and gusty winds predicted.
and this Fire-threatened towns to be closed off Sunday Jan 22 11:36 AEDT
Residents of towns under threat from bushfires in Victoria's eastern Gippsland region must make a decision to stay or leave before the towns are closed off later on Sunday.
Firefighters are bracing for the worst possible conditions, with above 40 degree temperatures predicted across the state and a wind change expected to push the fires in a north-easterly direction.
Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) Gippsland region spokeswoman Rachel Dawkins said police intended to close the only road still open to the public in to the towns of Erica, Rawson, Walhalla and Moondarra on Sunday afternoon.
In SA Heat cuts power to 4,000 SA homes Sunday Jan 22 13:51 AEDT
More than 4,000 homes across South Australia are without power as the state's electricity supply struggles to cope with soaring temperatures.
The worst affected areas include Adelaide's eastern and northern suburbs and the southern Fleurieu Peninsula where some residents have been without power for up to five hours.
The state's electricity supplier ETSA Utilities said the widespread power outages had been caused mainly by transformer fuses "popping" in the extreme weather conditions.
ETSA estimates that about 1,250 households are without electricity in various pockets across the metropolitan area.
An ETSA spokeswoman said Salisbury and Gilberton were the worst affected areas with about 1,000 residents in both suburbs without power.
We have not heard from the media yet. . but there is a fire in Adelaides south. . the whole area is clouded with smoke. . it is coming into to house and visibility over the valley has been reduced like a London fog arrived . . . .at least the temp has gone down a bit.
DEMOCRACY = Voters deciding by Poll on who will be the local member that "Big Business" will push around.
Yup, Gizmo and it's driving my cat nuts; she is really distressed about it.
media 4:00 PM 22 January 2006
The SA Country Fire Service advises that smoke drifting across the Fleurieu Peninsula and into the metropolitan Adelaide area is a result of multiple fires that are currently burning on Kangaroo Island. For more information contact the CFS Hotline on 1300 362 361.
Bushfires are burning across four states this morning, including in Victoria where homes have been lost and flames have swept across thousands of hectares in 40-degree conditions.
Police and fire crews in Victoria are searching burnt out areas in the Grampians, after unconfirmed reports the state's bushfires may have claimed a life.
Victoria Country Fire Authority Deputy Chief Officer Graham Fountain said the search was being hampered by the vast size of the fire.
"We've got well in excess of 100,000 hectares of burnt area with very active fires and hazardous terrain," Mr Fountain told Sky News.
He was unable to confirm reports that up to 20 homes and structures had been destroyed or damaged across Victoria, with assessments underway now morning has arrived.
"At the Brisbane ranges near Geelong, we know there has been some property loss there and we've been waiting for daybreak to assess the property loss, and in the Moondarra in the Erica area in Gippsland," he said.
The Gippsland fire remains a threat this morning, and is now burning towards the towns of Moondarra, Erica, Tyers and Rawson.
In the town of Anakie, 150km south-west of Melbourne, several homes have been lost but the full extent of the property loss there is also not yet known.
More than a dozen bushfires are burning in Victoria, with others in South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.
In South Australia's south-east, fire crews are battling a large blaze at the Ngarkat Conservation Park, which has burnt about 60,000 hectares.
Cooler conditions are expected today, and with relief crews due to arrive from NSW, the SA Country Fire Service is hoping it can be brought under control.
Firefighters are also battling blazes on Kangaroo Island, where at least seven properties have come under threat.
In Tasmania, a bushfire at Trial Harbour, near Zeehan in the state's west, has swept across 3,000 hectares of bush and scrub.
Zeehan was threatened yesterday as hot winds fanned the fire, but cooler conditions helped crews bring the situation under control.
In Western Australia, a large bushfire is continuing to burn out of control 25km from the south-west town of Dwellingup.
It's believed the blaze was deliberately lit in a blue-gum plantation, which has been destroyed, the ABC reported.
Department of Conservation and Land Management spokesman Roger Armstrong said weather conditions were hampering the firefighting effort. It would be crucial to contain the blaze today ahead of forecast thunderstorms tomorrow.
"One of the other things that's confounding us a little is the impact of tropical cyclone Daryl as it decays and moves south," he told the ABC.
"You do get some interactions with the local weather so we're expecting to have really strong winds through tomorrow."
He said there was significant infrastructure in the area where the fire was burning.
POLICE and fire crews are combing burnt-out areas in the Grampians today after fears bushfires sweeping across the region have claimed a life. Firefighters are battling bushfires across four states this morning, with at least seven homes lost in Victoria and flames razing thousands of hectares in 40C conditions.
In the town of Anakie, 150km south-west of Melbourne, 20 buildings had been damaged or destroyed, including three homes, the CFA said.
Victoria Country Fire Authority Deputy Chief Officer Graham Fountain said there had been unconfirmed reports of a fatality in the Grampians and the search was being hampered by the vast size of the fire.
"We've got well in excess of 100,000 hectares of burnt area with very active fires and hazardous terrain," Mr Fountain said.
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"At the Brisbane ranges near Geelong, we know there has been some property loss there and we've been waiting for daybreak to assess the property loss, and in the Moondarra in the Erica area in Gippsland," he said.
The Gippsland fire remained a threat this morning, and is now burning towards the towns of Moondarra, Erica, Tyers and Rawson.
More than a dozen bushfires are burning in Victoria, with others in South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.
In South Australia's south-east, fire crews are battling a large blaze at the Ngarkat Conservation Park, which has burnt about 60,000ha.
Cooler conditions are expected today, and with relief crews due to arrive from New South Wales, the SA Country Fire Service is hoping it can be brought under control.
The SA fires come as Adelaide has recorded its hottest temperatures in more than 66 years, with four consecutive days above 40C.
In Victoria, the pilot of a waterbombing helicopter escaped with minor injuries after his chopper landed awkwardly as it tried to refuel at an airport in Gippsland in Victoria.
Firefighters are also battling blazes on Kangaroo Island, where at least seven properties have come under threat.
In Tasmania, a bushfire at Trial Harbour, near Zeehan in the state's west, has swept across 3000ha of bush and scrub.
Zeehan was threatened yesterday as hot winds fanned the fire, but cooler conditions helped crews bring the situation under control.
In Western Australia, a large bushfire is continuing to burn out of control 25km from the south-west town of Dwellingup.
It is believed the blaze was deliberately lit in a blue-gum plantation, which has been destroyed.
Department of Conservation and Land Management spokesman Roger Armstrong said weather conditions were hampering the firefighting effort.
It would be crucial to contain the blaze today ahead of forecast thunderstorms tomorrow.
"One of the other things that's confounding us a little is the impact of tropical cyclone Daryl as it decays and moves south," he said.
"You do get some interactions with the local weather so we're expecting to have really strong winds through tomorrow."
He said there was significant infrastructure in the area where the fire was burning.
About 100 firefighters, 30 trucks and six fixed-wing aircraft were working on the blaze, he said, with an additional 100 people and 30 trucks expected to join efforts this morning.
The fire - which started as two separate ignitions - was almost certainly deliberately lit, with aerial crews spotting a person fleeing in a vehicle, he said.
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Yup, Gizmo and it's driving my cat nuts; she is really distressed about it.
media 4:00 PM 22 January 2006
The SA Country Fire Service advises that smoke drifting across the Fleurieu Peninsula and into the metropolitan Adelaide area is a result of multiple fires that are currently burning on Kangaroo Island. For more information contact the CFS Hotline on 1300 362 361.
Father and son died trying to defend the family home By Daniel Ziffer and Geoff Strong January 25, 2006
ZEKE WILSON would have started high school next week.
The popular, sport-loving 12-year-old from Stawell West primary was in the last few days of his summer break and preparing for secondary college when nature intervened.
Not all the details are yet clear. What is known is that late on Sunday night, as a bushfire swept through the Grampians in Victoria's central west, Zeke and his 36-year-old father, Malcolm Wilson, were driving along a road perilously close to the fire front.
The blaze, whipped up by hot northerlies, had already consumed tens of thousands of hectares, and the pair were believed to be rushing to defend the family home at Promonal as it approached.
They were just two kilometres from the family property when smoke surrounded their car. Blinded, Mr Wilson ran into a gum tree, disabling the car. They appear to have lowered their seats to try to shelter from the heat. But it was in vain.
Mr Wilson's mother Norma, 71, who had been frantically trying to phone them as the fire approached, eventually went out to look for them and found the burnt-out wreck. "From where I was, it was up against the tree. I broke down and cried," she recalled yesterday.
Other relatives and friends also told of their grief yesterday, as did those who cared for volunteer firefighter Trevor Day, who died when a truck rolled over in Victoria's north-east on Monday.
Rod Clarke coached Zeke Wilson in the under 13 Stawell Bulldogs team. "He was really fast … and good with the ball," he said.
Zeke played in the back line and was considered a tenacious star of the side, teammates said.
He attended St Patrick's Primary School until grade five, transferring to Stawell West for his final year of primary school. The acting director of the Grampians Regional Education Office, Peter Henry, said students and staff at the schools may require counselling.
Norm Wilson said he and his mother had been expecting his brother, who is understood to have worked at a restaurant in Halls Gap, to arrive sooner."It's sad that he lost his life trying to do that but in the same way very heroic trying to get to us to help us," he told Channel Seven.
The family of Castlemaine firefighter Trevor Day will be looked after by the Country Fire Authority. Its chief executive, Neil Bibby, said yesterday Mr Day's family would be eligible for at least $450,000 compensation.
I was stunned that none of the ACT/NSW media outlets have made mention of the fires in WA. The first I knew of them was when I spoke to family over in Perth tonight.
Out of interest, in the states that are burning did their Premiers do what the incompetent ACT Chief Minister/Dictator did in 2003 : (1) When the fires started decide not to fight the fires, declaring that it is pointless since there is no way the fires would reach populated areas. (2) When the fires did start to threaten populated areas, choose not to warn/evacuate those living in the areas under threat, causing loss of lives?
Reality is for those who can not handle Science Fiction.
A firebug has been charged over a series of deliberately lit blazes at Warburton as Victoria faces a horrific day of fire danger.
Police have charged a 16-year-old boy with allegedly lighting three blazes in bushland at Warburton, 76km east of Melbourne.
The fires were lit close together between Hooks Road and Scotchman's Creek about 12.45pm (AEDT) yesterday and raged for two hours, burning about 2ha.
Firefighters and an aerial water bomber were used to extinguish the blaze, absorbing crucial resources needed to fight ferocious fires burning across the state.
Police say the youth was seen visiting the fire ground twice and was arrested by detectives after leaving the second time.
He was interviewed and will be summonsed to appear at the Children's Court at a date to be fixed, facing charges of lighting a bushfire, conduct endangering life and other offences.
The charges come as Victoria endures a tragic bushfire season that has already killed three people and destroyed up to nine homes and tens of thousands of livestock.
The state remains on high alert as scorching 40 degree temperatures and strong northerly winds return, creating perilous conditions for firefighters.
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