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| Blazes flare amid extreme conditions – as it happened | |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| This blog is now closed. Our live coverage will continue tomorrow morning | |
| We are wrapping up the live blog now, but we will be back at 7am AEDT for the latest on the fires. | |
| As of 9pm, this is what we know. | |
| In New South Wales, there are three emergency warning fires: Dunns Road, East Ournie Creek, Green Valley. All three blazes have merged and are located in the Snowy Valley region near the Victoria border. | |
| A 90km/h southerly is worsening conditions in NSW, and one male firefighter in his mid-20s suffered burns to his face fighting fires in the Snowy Valley region. | |
| The Green Valley fire is now 233,000 hectares in size, and is moving to Mundaroo, Tumbarumba and Mannus. | |
| Another three fires are at watch-and-act level. | |
| The southerly will continue up New South Wales and reach Sydney at around 2am. The RFS has warned a new fire in Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains could take a turn around midnight when the change sweeps through. | |
| In Victoria there are eight fires at emergency warning level: | |
| Noorinbee and surrounding areas | |
| Walwa fire and surrounding areas | |
| Abbeyard fire 8km east-south-east of Abbeyard, travelling north-west towards the King Valley Area | |
| Mount Buffalo fire travelling in a north-easterly direction towards Bright | |
| Harrietville fire, currently travelling towards Myrtleford | |
| Two additional warnings for the Abbeyard fire for Davenport Village, Dinner Plain, Happy Valley and a number of towns close by | |
| Wodonga for a grass fire that is out of control | |
| An additional four fires are at watch and act level. A southerly has been passing through Victoria on its way to New South Wales. Severe thunderstorm predictions did not come to pass, but the CFA has warned conditions could worsen tonight. | |
| For up-to-date information on the fires in NSW, click here. | |
| For up-to-date information on the fires in Victoria, click here. | |
| Until tomorrow, stay safe. | |
| There’s now what media (but not RFS) refer to as a megablaze in the Kosciuszko national park with three fires at emergency level in that area of southern NSW, just near the Victorian border. There’s also concern that a fire at watch-and-act level in Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains could worsen around midnight once the southerly reaches there. People in the Wentworth Falls and Leura areas are being advised to stay alert. | There’s now what media (but not RFS) refer to as a megablaze in the Kosciuszko national park with three fires at emergency level in that area of southern NSW, just near the Victorian border. There’s also concern that a fire at watch-and-act level in Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains could worsen around midnight once the southerly reaches there. People in the Wentworth Falls and Leura areas are being advised to stay alert. |
| There are also reports the Green Valley fire, which the East Ournie Creek fire has merged with, has also merged with the fire on the other side of the border with Victoria.We are expecting an update from the RFS shortly. | There are also reports the Green Valley fire, which the East Ournie Creek fire has merged with, has also merged with the fire on the other side of the border with Victoria.We are expecting an update from the RFS shortly. |
| Here’s some video of the grass fire in Wodonga. | Here’s some video of the grass fire in Wodonga. |
| CFA now warns the grass fire in Wodonga is travelling towards Killara in addition to Baranduda. People are being advised to seek shelter indoors immediately because it is too late to leave. | CFA now warns the grass fire in Wodonga is travelling towards Killara in addition to Baranduda. People are being advised to seek shelter indoors immediately because it is too late to leave. |
| NSW RFS has issued an emergency warning for Green Valley, Talmalmo. | NSW RFS has issued an emergency warning for Green Valley, Talmalmo. |
| The fire is burning east and north of Jingellic. It is too late to leave, and residents are advised to seek shelter. | The fire is burning east and north of Jingellic. It is too late to leave, and residents are advised to seek shelter. |
| An emergency warning has been issued for a grass fire out of control at Beechworth-Wodonga Rd, Wodonga. | An emergency warning has been issued for a grass fire out of control at Beechworth-Wodonga Rd, Wodonga. |
| The fire is travelling in an easterly direction towards Baranduda. | The fire is travelling in an easterly direction towards Baranduda. |
| The Bureau of Meteorology in Victoria has cancelled its severe thunderstorm warning for the East Gippsland and north-east districts. The immediate threat of thunderstorms has passed but warnings could still be issued if the situation changes, Bom says. | The Bureau of Meteorology in Victoria has cancelled its severe thunderstorm warning for the East Gippsland and north-east districts. The immediate threat of thunderstorms has passed but warnings could still be issued if the situation changes, Bom says. |
| Rain has fallen across Kangaroo Island today, and the warning levels have been reduced, but properties have still been lost and firefighters injured, AAP reports. | Rain has fallen across Kangaroo Island today, and the warning levels have been reduced, but properties have still been lost and firefighters injured, AAP reports. |
| Assessments are underway, but some homes are believed lost at Vivonne Bay while the town of Parndana was spared for a second time, despite fire bearing down on it from several directions. | Assessments are underway, but some homes are believed lost at Vivonne Bay while the town of Parndana was spared for a second time, despite fire bearing down on it from several directions. |
| Both towns had been evacuated amid emergency warnings and the escalating danger. | Both towns had been evacuated amid emergency warnings and the escalating danger. |
| Two Country Fire Service trucks were involved in burn-overs and two more CFS personnel were injured, taking the total hurt on Kangaroo Island to 22. | Two Country Fire Service trucks were involved in burn-overs and two more CFS personnel were injured, taking the total hurt on Kangaroo Island to 22. |
| Nine News is reporting people in Mogo were being denied disaster payments from Centrelink because the maps the government has show the fires didn’t burn near their properties.As usually happens with these things, the people featured in the story were given their payments after media intervened. | Nine News is reporting people in Mogo were being denied disaster payments from Centrelink because the maps the government has show the fires didn’t burn near their properties.As usually happens with these things, the people featured in the story were given their payments after media intervened. |
| Another aerial shot of the Sydney protest. | Another aerial shot of the Sydney protest. |
| Daniel Andrews talked about the evacuation of Harrietville in that press conference. Let me tell you about another fire in Harrietville, seven years ago. | Daniel Andrews talked about the evacuation of Harrietville in that press conference. Let me tell you about another fire in Harrietville, seven years ago. |
| It explains a lot about the risk assessment process that is currently used by firefighters in Victoria. | It explains a lot about the risk assessment process that is currently used by firefighters in Victoria. |
| On 13 February 2013, firefighters Steven Kadar, 34, and Katie Peters, 19, were travelling in a convoy heading out of the Buckland Valley. | On 13 February 2013, firefighters Steven Kadar, 34, and Katie Peters, 19, were travelling in a convoy heading out of the Buckland Valley. |
| They had been working on a backburning operation at the Pheasant Creek Track, a 4WD track in a heavily forested mountainous region north of Omeo. | They had been working on a backburning operation at the Pheasant Creek Track, a 4WD track in a heavily forested mountainous region north of Omeo. |
| It was an alpine ash forest. Tree clearing crews were in there at the same time — unusual, as that’s usually done first. Thunderstorm activity was picking up. When the call came to get out, Kadar and Peters were the first ute in line when a “giant” alpine ash did what alpine ash is wont to do in hot weather and strong winds, and fell to the ground, crushing their vehicle. | It was an alpine ash forest. Tree clearing crews were in there at the same time — unusual, as that’s usually done first. Thunderstorm activity was picking up. When the call came to get out, Kadar and Peters were the first ute in line when a “giant” alpine ash did what alpine ash is wont to do in hot weather and strong winds, and fell to the ground, crushing their vehicle. |
| They were the third and fourth firefighters to die that season. | They were the third and fourth firefighters to die that season. |
| Peters was on her gap year and had picked up a summer firefighting gig. A lot of Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) firefighters — they are the ones in green overalls — are in the same position. Kadar was a career firefighter with nine years experience. He had earlier expressed concern about the risk of falling trees. | Peters was on her gap year and had picked up a summer firefighting gig. A lot of Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) firefighters — they are the ones in green overalls — are in the same position. Kadar was a career firefighter with nine years experience. He had earlier expressed concern about the risk of falling trees. |
| An inquest in 2015 made ten recommendations around the need to improve communication between the fireground and incident control, two-way relaying of weather information, and improved safety provisions. | An inquest in 2015 made ten recommendations around the need to improve communication between the fireground and incident control, two-way relaying of weather information, and improved safety provisions. |
| If you are wondering why the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and FFMV has appeared extremely cautious in pulling firefighters out of certain situations, this is partly why. | If you are wondering why the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and FFMV has appeared extremely cautious in pulling firefighters out of certain situations, this is partly why. |
| This inquest is built on findings from the Black Saturday royal commission. It’s also why, if you have ever done a fire briefing in Victoria, you would have heard a lot about “red flag warnings”. | This inquest is built on findings from the Black Saturday royal commission. It’s also why, if you have ever done a fire briefing in Victoria, you would have heard a lot about “red flag warnings”. |
| A red flag warning is issued when there is “a significant change to any critical information that may adversely affect the safety of personnel located at an emergency”. It is given priority over any radio traffic except a mayday call. | A red flag warning is issued when there is “a significant change to any critical information that may adversely affect the safety of personnel located at an emergency”. It is given priority over any radio traffic except a mayday call. |
| This is from DELWP’s response to the coroner’s report: | This is from DELWP’s response to the coroner’s report: |