New South Wales firefighters are again on high alert preparing for even hotter and dryer conditions today.
Extreme Fire Danger is forecast for the Greater Hunter and Greater Sydney regions and complete fire bans in the eastern half of the state.
Authorties are keeping an eye on existing fires in the Hawkesbury, Lithgow, Eurobodalla, Bega and Narrabri areas.
Total fire bans have been in place since midnight for the Greater Hunter, Greater Sydney, Illawarra/Shoalhaven, Far South Coast, Central Ranges, Southern Ranges, Monaro Alpine Northern Slopes, Northwestern, Upper Central West Plains and Lower Central West Plains areas.
Posted on 28 November '09 by Steve, under Uncategorized. No Comments.
Temperatures are set to soar in New South Wales today with a catastrophic fire danger and total fire bans across the state.
Meanwhile, winds are hampering efforts to contain a fire which destroyed properties in Tasmania and storms have left thousands of Victorians without power.
Late storms across parts of New South Wales have failed to do much to ease the state’s fire threat
A total fire ban remains in place for much of the state today with high temperatures again expected to soar.
The Rural Fire Service (RFS) says overnight crews will monitor fires still burning in the Hunter, Blue Mountains, Singleton and in the Hawkesbury, near Bilpin.
The fire threat is not set to ease tomorrow with a warning of “catastrophic” fire danger in the Upper and Lower Central West Plains.
The Federal Government has authorised the use of an RAAF base for planes fighting the fires in New South Wales.
The Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland says the State Government requested the use of the Richmond airbase north-west of Sydney.
RFS Assistant Commissioner Rob Rogers says a cool change is predicted on Sunday afternoon.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/21/2749465.htm?section=justin
Posted on 22 November '09 by Steve, under Uncategorized. No Comments.
AUSTRALIA: Up to 100 fires are burning across NSW as a large swathe of the state begins a day of total fire bans.
Record-breaking hot temperatures, storms and wild winds on Friday sparked and fuelled a series of bushfires, mostly in remote and inaccessible terrain in the Blue Mountains, the Hawksbury region and the state’s northeast.
The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) says more extreme heat is on the way, propelling the “difficult and challenging” conditions for firefighters on Saturday.
The blazes of most concern are within the Hawksbury region, near Mt Irvine, Bilpin, St Albans, Bowen Hill and Mountain Lagoon, the RFS says.
The fires were moving slowly late on Friday as crews worked with heavy machinery to establish containment lines.
No homes are under threat at present, but residents of Bilpin and Mountain Lagoon are advised to activate their bushfire survival plans.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10610748
Posted on 22 November '09 by Steve, under Uncategorized. No Comments.
