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Australia fires live: Mallacoota fire in Victoria turns sky black as NSW faces bushfires threat - latest updates Australia fires live: Mallacoota fire in Victoria turns sky black as NSW faces bushfires threat - latest updates
(32 minutes later)
Conditions worsen with more than 4,000 on the beach at Mallacoota in Victoria after a devastating day yesterday and the death of a firefighter in New South Wales. Follow live news and latest updatesConditions worsen with more than 4,000 on the beach at Mallacoota in Victoria after a devastating day yesterday and the death of a firefighter in New South Wales. Follow live news and latest updates
Hundreds of people, both locals and tourists evacuated from Lakes Entrance, spent the night at Howitt Park. It is not an official evacuation point, but many locals told Guardian Australia they were not sure where the official evacuation centre was. Here’s the scene in Cobargo, NSW, where the main street has been ravaged by fire and two people are missing.
The cars were parked bumper to bumper overnight but most had gone by midday, taking advantage of the brief window in which the Princes Highway was open to get back to their homes. On ABC Radio Gippsland we’ve just heard from a local man, Graham.
“We saw a big burst of very big flames in Shady Gully,” he said. “As I speak to you I’m looking across Coull’s Inlet and there are big flames… and they would be impacting houses… Oh wow, that’s not good at all.”
Graham was looking across the centre of town, and said the people on the jetty would be able to see what he’s seeing.
In Tasmania, there are fears that homes have been lost in fires that flared to emergency level yesterday and continue today.
The temperature hit 40C in the state on Monday, and the Pelham fire, 50km north of Hobart, reached emergency. Today cooler conditions allowed firefighters to bring it under control.
“Seventy per cent of the fire ground has been assessed. We’ve got some structural losses,” the TFS chief officer, Chris Arnol, said.
“We’re not sure if any homes have been lost. It could be sheds, it could be homes, we don’t know. Access is difficult with that fire, with smoke conditions and some power infrastructure down.”
Arnol said a “significant” number of structures in the area had been saved.
Dry lightning sparked both fires, with the Bureau of Meteorology recording more than 400 ground strikes.
Kate Bruton and her family experienced how unsafe it was at Swan Reach first-hand.
They were staying with Bruton’s mother at Cabbage Tree for Christmas but decided to evacuate yesterday when they saw the columns of smoke from the Barmouth Spur and W Tree fires.
“We stopped at Orbost first and Orbost was full at the evacuation centre, and it was the same at Lakes Entrance,” Bruton said.
It looked like “armageddon,” she said. “I have been in bushfires all my life... it was unimaginable.” They were advised to drive on to Bairnsdale but got stuck when the Princes Highway closed both ahead and behind them at Swan Reach. The closure was not reported on the VicEmergency or VicTraffic app until after they were stuck.
They parked the caravan near a river and watched embers fall around them, but luckily the road opened and they made it to Bairnsdale.
Everyone at the park had been friendly and helping each other, Bruton said. “As horrible as this is, it is nice.”
Hundreds of people, both locals and tourists, evacuated from Lakes Entrance spent the night at Howitt Park. It is not an official evacuation point, but many locals told Guardian Australia they were not sure where the official evacuation centre was.
Cars were parked bumper to bumper overnight but most had gone by midday, with people taking advantage of the brief window in which the Princes Highway was open to get back to their homes.
Among those who remain are Kelly Lane and her 10-year-old son, Connor. They left their home in Swan Reach, which is just over halfway between Lakes Entrance and Bairnsdale, late yesterday when their fire advice went from a watch and act to an emergency alert. The call to leave came from a local man who was driving down the street in his tractor bellowing at residents to evacuate.Among those who remain are Kelly Lane and her 10-year-old son, Connor. They left their home in Swan Reach, which is just over halfway between Lakes Entrance and Bairnsdale, late yesterday when their fire advice went from a watch and act to an emergency alert. The call to leave came from a local man who was driving down the street in his tractor bellowing at residents to evacuate.
Lane bought a tent this morning – they didn’t have time last night and another evacuee said Kmart had sold out of tents – and plan to stay at Howitt Park again tonight.Lane bought a tent this morning – they didn’t have time last night and another evacuee said Kmart had sold out of tents – and plan to stay at Howitt Park again tonight.
“It is still unsafe around my place,” Lane said.“It is still unsafe around my place,” Lane said.
This photo from Mallacoota is being widely shared on social media. Taken by a resident, it shows a family out on a boat escaping the fire, in the middle of the day.This photo from Mallacoota is being widely shared on social media. Taken by a resident, it shows a family out on a boat escaping the fire, in the middle of the day.
And read this fuller report on the situation in Mallacoota from Helen Davidson.And read this fuller report on the situation in Mallacoota from Helen Davidson.
The CFA incident controller Ben Rankin has just been on ABC Radio in East Gippsland.The CFA incident controller Ben Rankin has just been on ABC Radio in East Gippsland.
He says that fire is moving around to Orbost, and that in Mallacoota there “have been quite a number of houses impacted”.He says that fire is moving around to Orbost, and that in Mallacoota there “have been quite a number of houses impacted”.
“It is not a day to relax at all,” Rankin said. “It is a day to adhere to the warnings that are coming out.”“It is not a day to relax at all,” Rankin said. “It is a day to adhere to the warnings that are coming out.”
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, confirmed on Tuesday morning he had requested Australian Defence Force assistance as fires burned throughout the state’s east, threatening homes and lives.The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, confirmed on Tuesday morning he had requested Australian Defence Force assistance as fires burned throughout the state’s east, threatening homes and lives.
He said he had spoken by text message with the prime minister, Scott Morrison, to discuss additional support, such as the use of the navy to help provide food, water and power to isolated communities.He said he had spoken by text message with the prime minister, Scott Morrison, to discuss additional support, such as the use of the navy to help provide food, water and power to isolated communities.
“We’ve made some requests to the (Australian Defence Force) for their support, both in terms of making damage assessments but also some of these isolated communities can be accessed by sea,” he said.“We’ve made some requests to the (Australian Defence Force) for their support, both in terms of making damage assessments but also some of these isolated communities can be accessed by sea,” he said.
“We have a range of plans in place ourselves but there may be ways the ADF can support us.”“We have a range of plans in place ourselves but there may be ways the ADF can support us.”
He added: “There’s a prospect of whatever ADF support that can be provided we’ll be happy to use it. And we’re having detailed discussions with ADF to discuss how to best use their resources.”He added: “There’s a prospect of whatever ADF support that can be provided we’ll be happy to use it. And we’re having detailed discussions with ADF to discuss how to best use their resources.”
Asked what form the additional military assistance might take and whether naval supply ships might be involved, Andrews said: “That type of thing. I wouldn’t be specific to the point of ruling anything out.Asked what form the additional military assistance might take and whether naval supply ships might be involved, Andrews said: “That type of thing. I wouldn’t be specific to the point of ruling anything out.
“There’s some choppers for instance, they’ve got some aircraft that are bigger. They’ve got a range of things that they can support us with.”“There’s some choppers for instance, they’ve got some aircraft that are bigger. They’ve got a range of things that they can support us with.”
Victoria has also asked for 70 firefighters from Canada and the United States, Andrews confirmed.Victoria has also asked for 70 firefighters from Canada and the United States, Andrews confirmed.
Matt Manning is out on a boat, 3km from Mallacoota, waiting out the fires. He tells me there are about 30 boats out there with him, his partner, their two friends, and his dog. Most of them are locals.
“I packed the boat and prepared the boat yesterday morning. I left it tied up in the water ready to bail, and we sat it out – we were camping in the foreshore camp park. We sat it out hour by hour, and about one o’clock decided to go down to the boat until we decided to bail out to the lake.
“The glow in the sky was just unreal. We decided to pull the pin at about three o’clock. We’re pretty safe here, hopefully we don’t get any hot embers. There’s a lot of debris and ash but so far there’s no hot embers. Winds about 30-40 knots coming from the south.
“I’ve got two mates who stayed at the camp park, they didn’t want to come with us. They said they’re fine, they’re country boys and have fought a few fires. I spoke to them about 10 minutes ago, and they’re fine. A few tents have gone up.”
Barry Wear, who is camped in a caravan outside the Bairnsdale relief centre, has just heard some good news. He lives at Sarsfield, one of the communities that Daniel Andrews confirmed was hardest hit by the bushfires. About 20 houses have been lost, Wear says. But, as of this morning, his house is not one of them.
“I was sure last night that I had lost my house but this morning a neighbour knocked on my door and said my house was safe,” he said.
“I don’t know how. My house, which is cedar, and my shed with all my tools in it are still standing, but my garage – well it’s really a machinery shed – which is metal, that melted.”
Wear lives on High Street in Sarsfield and said he had been told by those who remained that all the houses on their street were safe. Others were not so lucky. Heggars Road was heavily impacted, he says.
Wear said he would not return home until it was safe. Fires are still burning around the town.
“I just brought the essentials with me,” he says, which includes two dogs and three guitars. “I have enough food in the fridge and two casks of wine. Well, one – I finished one last night.”
Along with thousands of other Canberrans, I am holidaying on the NSW south coast – as I have done ever year since I can remember. At 6am I was woken by a text to evacuate. We fled south to Moruya, with nearby Mogo – perhaps 5km from the sea – alight. We had been warned that today would be bad, but the overnight fire spread exceeded the worst estimations.
The otherwise sleepy town of Moruya was soon bustling with locals and holidaymakers, dazed and concerned as we saw the giant smoke front head in our direction. People were glued to their phones, constantly refreshing the live fire map, wondering if their house was burning while we were stranded in the car parks, green spaces and the public pool of Moruya, helpless. As the sky became darker the mood soured; at one point we could see flames speed down a ridge in the distance.
But amid the gloom, there were bright spots of humanity. The pool gave out ice creams, a local Thai restaurant cooked free meals. Strangers swapped anecdotes and the latest information.
For decades, Canberrans and locals have made happy summer memories on the south coast. Now we are stuck in a nightmare.
Apocalyptic scenes in Batemans Bay on the NSW south coast. Residents huddled on the beach similar to Mallacoota in Victoria.
Fitzsimmons also says that fires are stretching all the way from Nowra to the Victorian border.
And the southerly change coming will make things worse, spreading fires – previously heading east – in a northerly direction. This poses “an additional threat” to populations, he says.
The scope of these fires is huge.
“Anywhere from Nowra down to the Victorian border, right out to places like Tumut and Tumbarumba, across the ranges – we’re seeing aggressive and dangerous fire behaviour,” Fitzsimmons says.
This is Naaman Zhou taking over the blog from Luke Henriques-Gomes, who has done some incredible work today.
In that press conference, the NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, also confirmed there was “significant impact, damage and destruction” on the NSW south coast, including schools hit by fire.
“We’re seeing fire impacting onto communities, people’s homes and other infrastructure,” he said, in towns like Cobargo, Broulee, Mogo and Fishermans Paradise.
“We’ve had reports of schools impacted. We’ve had reports of businesses and some of the small town centres being impacted by these fires.”
Shane Fitzsimmons is asked if this is the worst bushfire season on record for New South Wales.
He replies: “Yes. Absolutely.”