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Australia fires live news: MP says at least 200 homes destroyed in NSW as Victoria bushfires continue – latest updates
Australia fires live news: MP says at least 200 homes destroyed in NSW as Victoria bushfires continue – latest updates
(32 minutes later)
Four unaccounted for in Victoria after East Gippsland fires claim homes in Buchan, Sarsfield and Mallacoota
Four unaccounted for in Victoria after East Gippsland fires claim homes in Buchan, Sarsfield and Mallacoota
AAP has written up the latest Victorian fire advice:
And for an idea of some of that – here is a satellite representation of what happened in eastern Victoria over the last few days:
In what is becoming an all too frequent announcement, bushfire assistance has now been extended to the local government areas of East Gippsland and Towong.
So there you have it - a unique and complex set of circumstances in Victoria - people isolated in the middle of fire grounds, people displaced by the fire and unable to return to their communities, and existing fires joining up to create bigger fires. Firefighters being brought in by air.
From David Littleproud’s office:
Five Australian states have been impacted by this fire season. It’s not like the previous fire seasons which have scarred the landscape and the nation’s consciousness - fast moving fires which devastated one particular area - this is hitting everything at once.
Households in the local government areas of East Gippsland and Towong can now access the following emergency payments to relieve personal hardship:
The emergency commissioner finishes with this:
Emergency Relief Assistance Payments, which provide payments of up to $560 per adult and $280 per child (up to a maximum of $1,960 per eligible household) are available to help meet immediate needs, including emergency food, shelter, clothing and personal items.
And on the additional ADF support, Andrew Crisp says:
Emergency Re-establishment Payments provide up to $42,250 per eligible household experiencing financial hardship, who have been affected by fire at their primary place of residence. The grants will be available for clean-up, emergency accommodation, repairs, rebuilding (a principal place of residence), and replacing some damaged contents.The funding arrangements will allow for state government agencies and the East Gippsland and Towong councils to apply for funding to help cover the restoration of essential public assets such as roads and public hospitals.
On supplies and resources, Andrew Crisp says:
Households should contact their local council, or visit a relief centre, to discuss assistance options.
Andrew Crisp:
The Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips just had a chat to the ABC about what has happened in her part of the south coast of NSW:
Andrew Crisp:
A very big thank you to Luke for all his work this morning.
The emergency commissioner, Andrew Crisp, is now giving the nuts and bolts update of the fire situation on the ground:
You’ve got Amy Remeikis covering the blog now.
Daniel Andrews says he wants to assure everyone he is in constant contact with Scott Morrison and the state and commonwealth are working well together. He said all levels of government have come together:
We are standing by waiting for the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, to update us.
Daniel Andrews gives some examples of how firefighters are having to work differently, because of the complex set of circumstances:
This is a heartbreaking interview with a man who has lost almost everything at Mallacoota.
Daniel Andrews:
Here is a statement from NSW police confirming the tragic news that a body has been found at Yatte Yattah, west of Lake Conjola. It takes the death toll this week to four following the deaths of two men at Cobargo and a volunteer firefighter near Albury.
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, is holding his press conference.
At least three people have died in NSW, while another person remains unaccounted for in that state.
I’ll bring you most of what he has to say.
In addition, Nine News reported in the past 10 minutes that a body had been found west of Conjola.
Authorities in Victoria hold grave fears for four people after fires tore through large swathes of East Gippsland yesterday.
The two men killed in fires at Cobargo yesterday have been named as Patrick Salway and his father, Robert Salway.
It’s expected hundreds of homes have been destroyed on the NSW south coast, though the RFS says it is still conducting assessments. The ABC reported 50 properties lost in the town of Conjola Park.
Victorian authorities say about 50 properties have been lost across Buchan, Sarsfield and Mallacoota, but that figure is expected to rise.
More than 100 fires are burning in NSW, but conditions have eased and all fires have been downgraded to watch and act level.
Three fires are burning at emergency level in Victoria as dozens burn across the east and north-east.
Firefighters in NSW are using the improved conditions to contain existing fires and prepare for Saturday, which is tipped to rival yesterday’s fire danger levels.
Towns across the NSW south coast are still without power.
We’re waiting for further confirmation on this.
The ABC has spoken to the Labor MP Mike Kelly, who says he’s been briefed by the RFS and has been told at least 200 homes have been destroyed on the NSW south coast.
Fiona Phillips, a local Liberal MP, says hundreds of buildings across Batemans Bay and Mogo are also gone.
The ABC quizzed a local RFS official about these figures about 15 minutes ago, but he said authorities were still conducting assessments.
Great work from this firefighter.
The Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, has issued a statement describing the bushfire crisis as a “moment of truth” for Scott Morrison.
I’m going to reproduce parts of it below for you, but the key point is that the Greens want a royal commission into the bushfire crisis.
Di Natale said: “Our hearts go out to those who have lost their lives and property in this latest tragedy and for the huge ecological damage and loss of native and domestic animals.”
He said Scott Morrison should “immediately convene an emergency summit, as proposed by former fire chief Mullins, to ensure that everything is being done to address the immediate crisis”.
But he also said: “We must also accept that Australia’s climate has changed and we need to make sure that our land management, disaster response and climate policies are relevant to the new reality we face.”
A new figure for you: the fires in East Gippsland have burned through 500,000ha.
The Victorian emergency management commissioner, Andrew Crisp, told ABC News earlier today:
There was some debate about the fireworks being in Sydney last night. I wonder if there might be some controversy about this, too.
In New Zealand, meanwhile, people have been sharing photos showing how the smoke and haze from the Australian fires has reached Aotearoa.
