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NSW fires live updates: RFS warns south coast tourists to leave as Victoria bushfires continue – latest NSW fires live updates: RFS warns south coast tourists to leave as Victoria bushfires continue – latest
(32 minutes later)
At least nine people have died since Christmas Day, and the RFS is urging people to evacuate the New South Wales South Coast before dangerous conditions on the weekend. Follow the live news and latest updates todayAt least nine people have died since Christmas Day, and the RFS is urging people to evacuate the New South Wales South Coast before dangerous conditions on the weekend. Follow the live news and latest updates today
Tony Murphy, the deputy emergency management Victoria commissioner, says authorities have already moved vulnerable people out of Mallacoota, the small coastal community on the Victoria-NSW border.
You’ll remember 4,000 people were huddled on the beach there on Tuesday as fire converged on the town. They have since been waiting for HMAS Choules to arrive.
Murphy says they will “have the opportunity” to evacuate 500 people today, but he notes some people with 4WDs and caravans may wish to stay and leave later by road.
He warns that might take two to three weeks.
Murphy says that the message from authorities is that those in a remote area or at-risk areas should leave, and leave early.
He says the best option is to move to a major centre where there are services and support available.
“So if you’re in remote communities, we’ll be sending out strong messaging you shouldn’t be there, you should be in a safer place. That will be a very strong message.”
Andy Gillem, the Gippsland incident controller, says there are 900 people are working north of Bairnsdale, including towns like Clifton Creek, which was heavily impacted by the fires.
He says there are active fires in the Swift’s Creek Valley, and another creeping towards Ensay, the bottom of Mount Hotham and the Omeo area.
“The fire crews are preparing the communities for the coming period of warm weather on the Friday and Saturday, and also to allow the emergency services to get access to the communities that are isolated,” he says.
“There’s a lot of fire-affected roads and tracks and crews are working hard to maintain or regain access to those areas.”
A briefing has begun in Bairnsdale in East Gippsland.
There are 50 fires burning throughout the state, says Tony Murphy, the deputy emergency management Victoria commissioner.
“The other issue we do have at the moment, we’re anticipating some very significant fire weather coming into the weekend and on Saturday and that runs the risk of these fires growing in size yet again,” Murphy says.
“The other point I would like to make, we’re offering some very significant relief to communities at the moment, including communities like Mallacoota, but also more remote communities in Gippsland, like Cann River.”
Things are looking very difficult in Narooma.
Meanwhile, the ABC’s Melissa Clarke is in Moruya, where she says people have been queuing outside the local supermarket since 6am.
Staff have been letting people in 20 at a time to avoid chaos, Clarke says.
Here is the top 10 cities with the worst air quality in the world. At 10am, Canberra again has topped the list.
Sydney is in 34th place.
We’ve heard people have been rushing to hardware stores to pick up face masks. Some have sold out.
It looks like lots of people are heeding the advice of authorities telling people to get out of the NSW south coast in the next 24 hours.It looks like lots of people are heeding the advice of authorities telling people to get out of the NSW south coast in the next 24 hours.
I have received two separate emails from people telling me that the residents in the small NSW community Tumbarumba have been advised to evacuate the town ahead of Saturday. I have received two separate emails from people telling me that the residents in the small NSW community of Tumbarumba have been advised to evacuate the town ahead of Saturday.
Fire crews have told residents they can’t guarantee the safety of those in the town with fierce winds predicted. There is currently no phone coverage or electricity.Fire crews have told residents they can’t guarantee the safety of those in the town with fierce winds predicted. There is currently no phone coverage or electricity.
This area is outside the south coast region where the RFS has said holidaymakers must leave. Roads to the north, south and east are blocked by fire.This area is outside the south coast region where the RFS has said holidaymakers must leave. Roads to the north, south and east are blocked by fire.
Yesterday, the air quality in Canberra was at one point the worst of any city in the world.Yesterday, the air quality in Canberra was at one point the worst of any city in the world.
Yesterday, residents in the isolated community of Cann River were expressing concern about food shortages and other supply issues. Some told media they felt they were being forgotten.
The town is along the Princes Highway between Orbost and Mallacoota and has been cut off due to the fires.
Red Cross packages will be dropped in the town by air today.
But Constance adds, “once this (the fires) all goes, please come back”.
Tourism is crucial to communities on the south coast, which rely on the extra business during the holiday period.
The NSW transport minister, Andrew Constance, is appearing on the ABC right now from the fire-impacted community of Batemans Bay.
He advises that the Princes Highway is currently open to the north, allowing people to reach Sydney. To get to Canberra, they will have to go through Bega.
Constance warns Saturday will be a “terrible day” that will force road closures through the area.
“We don’t want people trapped here because we are going to see, more than likely, the region cut off again, road-wise, potentially electricity-wise,” he says.
“They’re expecting the forecasts to be as bad as Tuesday, if not worse. We just need people out of the area. That way we can use the valuable resources we’ve got to look after local people.”
Some more on the prime minister’s activities today.
This was the scene at Narooma yesterday.
The ABC has published this story saying that 250 truck drivers and holidaymakers are stranded at a remote roadhouse on the Nullarbor as a result of out-of-control bushfires.
The Caiguna Roadhouse, which is 400km east of Norseman along the Eyre Highway, is now running out of toilet paper, beer and essential food items. The highway joins Western Australia and South Australia.
The town has been cut off for extended periods over the past fortnight, the ABC reports, although the fire front is 200km away.
We start the day with some sad news.
The number of homes destroyed on the south coast after fires hit communities on Tuesday has risen from 176 to 381. This is a result of authorities returning to towns to assess the damage.
The ABC reports that this takes the number of homes lost in NSW over the bushfire season to 1,298.
Meanwhile, authorities are taking no risks ahead of what is expected to be extreme fire danger conditions on Saturday.
Holidaymakers on the south coast have been told they must leave the area before Saturday.
The map below shows the area involved.
Good morning. I’m Luke Henriques-Gomes. Thanks for joining us for another day of live bushfire coverage.
Yesterday, the death toll rose as it was confirmed nine people have died since Christmas Day. But authorities are already warning that figure will rise when they are able to enter more communities devastated by the fires on Tuesday.
We’ll be with you throughout the day. If you want to get in touch, you can send me an email at luke.henriques-gomes@theguardian.com or contact me on Twitter (@lukehgomes).