The sheer scale of Australia’s bushfire crisis has been laid bare by spectacular footage showing a massive wall of flames destroying bushland.
Aerial vision shared by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service on Friday evening showed the incredible blaze stretching into the distance at Myall Creek near Bungawalbin on the state’s far north coast.
Another bushfire burning just 100km north-west of Sydney near Colo Heights has claimed its first home, with the wreckage seen smouldering as the blaze continued to rage at emergency level until just before midnight on Saturday morning.
The sheer scale of Australia’s bushfire crisis has been laid bare by spectacular footage taken at Myall Creek near Bungawalbin on New South Wales’ far north coast showing a massive wall of flames destroying bushland
Aerial vision taken by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service showed the incredible blaze stretching into the distance
A man, 51, was arrested at about 2pm on Friday on suspicion of starting a bushfire, which reached emergency level and burned about 2000 hectares of land north-east of Armidale, in the state’s northern tablelands.
He was charged with intentionally causing fire and being reckless to its spread.
The fires in New South Wales have already burned three times more land this bushfire season than in the entire of last year’s season.
An estimated million hectares of land has been burned by bushfire across Australia as a whole following the catastrophic fire conditions – the highest possible level of bushfire danger – in the past week.
The hellish conditions come as water levels in Sydney and the surrounding areas reach crisis point, with the region facing an upgrade in the level one water restrictions in place since June.
Another bushfire burning just 100km north-west of Sydney near Colo Heights has claimed its first home, with the wreckage seen smouldering (pictured) as the blaze continued to rage at emergency level
Harrowing photographs taken at the scene showed fire still burning in the wreckage of the home as the Gospers Mountain bushfire continued to blaze
Flames illuminated the sky over a property on Putty road on Friday night in Colo Heights as the fire burned towards the stricken community
Data released by WaterNSW also shows the largest supplier of urban water in Australia, the Warragamba Dam, could run dry by January 2022.
As of early Friday evening, 61 bush or grass fires were burning across the state – 32 of which were uncontained.
RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said on Friday firefighters were exhausted after battling such an extreme week of bushfires.
‘There’s fatigue alright, the physical fatigue, but these men and women, they’re so emotionally and mentally invested in just trying to save and protect their communities,’ he said.
RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said on Friday firefighters were exhausted after battling such an extreme week of bushfires (pictured, fire at Gospers Mountain north-west of Sydney moves towards a property)
‘There’s fatigue alright, the physical fatigue, but these men and women, they’re so emotionally and mentally invested in just trying to save and protect their communities,’ he said (pictured a firefighter watches on at the Gospers Mountain fire near Sydney)
A water bombing plane dropped fire retardant over the Colo Heights area as the 80,000 Gospers Mountain blaze raged on
New South Wales’ north faces the greatest danger on Saturday as severe fire ratings have been issued for the New England, Northern Slopes and northwestern regions as well as total fire bans.
The situation was also dire in Queensland south of Bundaberg where firefighters continued to battle against spot fires fanned by dry winds.
An emergency warning has been issued for residents of Colo Heights, about 90 minutes north west of Sydney, to leave their homes immediately as an out-of-control bushfire approaches.
Fire retardant coated an area close to a property in Colo Heights as firefighters struggled tom contain the emergency level fire on Friday afternoon
One tree near the fire at Gospers Mountain was coated in flame retardant, resembling a jacaranda tree against the blackened sky
The sun was blocked by smoke rising from the Gospers Mountain bushfire on Friday in St Albans
An estimated million hectares of land has been burned by bushfire across Australia following catastrophic fire conditions – the highest possible level of bushfire danger – in the past week (fire at Colo Heights pictured)
The 85,000-hectare bushfire at Gospers Mountain on Sydney’s outskirts, which destroyed a property, escalated rapidly on Friday afternoon.
Residents of Colo Heights were urged to evacuate towards Wilberforce, while those in St Albans, Upper MacDonald, Central MacDonald and Lower MacDonald, Glen Davis, Putty Valley, Upper Colo, Webbs Creek, should monitor conditions.
Smoke blanketed Sydney’s CBD on Friday and may also have been visible from The Hills, Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Gosford.
Authorities said the smoke would persist until a southerly change cleared it away on Friday evening.
Danger: An out-of-control and fast-moving bushfire is burning near Colo Heights north-west of Sydney
Leave now: Smoke was seen over homes in Colo Heights on Friday afternoon as the bushfire closed in
The bushfire at Gospers Mountain in the Wollemi National Park, 90km north west of Sydney, has been burning for several days and worsened in Friday’s hot and windy conditions. Several other fires (pictured) were also burning around Sydney
The fire (pictured on Thursday) is burning towards Colo Heights in the south and Yengo Drive in the north
The Rural Fire Service NSW confirmed on Friday more than 250 homes have been destroyed since the same time last week, with almost 90 damaged. Some 480 outbuildings and 18 facilities have also been razed.
Firefighters are prepared for high temperatures and hot, dry westerly winds on Friday and into the weekend.
RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons on Friday admitted authorities expected another tough day for fatigued NSW firefighters.
‘It’s going to be another very difficult day for people from the Hawkesbury right up to the mid-north coast, right up to the fires burning on the Queensland border,’ Mr Fitzsimmons told the Seven Network.
‘Unfortunately these strong winds, up to 60, 75km/h across the ranges, are really going to cause challenges.’
Residents of Colo Heights were being urged to evacuate towards Wilberforce
The Bureau of Meteorology said the smoke was expected to move when a southerly wind hits the city on Friday evening
Residents at Colo Heights, just 90 minutes northwest of Sydney, were urged to evacuate as an out of control bushfire rapidly approaches (pictured on Friday afternoon)
An air tanker drops fire retardant on the Gospers Mountain fire near Colo Height on Friday afternoon
The fire at Bora Ridge burning southeast of Casino flared to emergency level on Thursday but has since been downgraded to ‘watch and act’ level. An additional five NSW blazes are at ‘watch and act’.
The RFS believes their efforts have saved more than 2000 buildings.
‘There’s fatigue alright, the physical fatigue, but these men and women, they’re so emotionally and mentally invested in just trying to save and protect their communities,’ Mr Fitzsimmons said.
The death toll since Friday now stands at four, with harrowing details emerging of the latest victim’s final hours.
Barry Parsons’ body was discovered in bushland on the southern end of the Kyuna Track at Willawarrin, near Kempsey, on Wednesday night.
His body was found five days after his last sighting and a final post on a Facebook page in the 58-year-old’s name described Friday’s horror conditions.
‘Seriously looks and sounds like apocolyse (sic) out there. F**ked up being on your own in these times,’ Mr Parsons’ post read.
Mr Parsons had reportedly been living alone in a shed in the remote area.
News of his death follows that of Julie Fletcher, 63, who died in the town of Johns River, and Wytaliba locals Vivian Chaplain, 69, and George Nole.
The Insurance Council of Australia said insurers had received 900 claim applications, with initial losses totalling $100 million.
Australian billionaire James Packer, meanwhile, has on Friday pledged $1 million to boost RFS resources and equipment budgets.
In Queensland, the Pechey fire, which has been burning for several days, flared as conditions worsened.
The fire is travelling east from Grapetree Road at Pechey towards Ravensbourne.
It is likely to affect Purtill Road, Garvey Road, Ravensbourne Tip Road, Mount Jockey Road and McQuillan Road.
People leaving the area should head southwest along Esk Hampton Road towards Toowoomba.
10 homes were lost when a fire broke out at Lower Beechmont (pictured) last week
Leave now warnings remain in place for residents of Woodgate and nearby Kinkuna Waters, south of Bundaberg.
A worrying fire at Thornside, west of Gympie, has been downgraded to watch and act.
The Cobraball fire near Yeppoon in central Queensland continues to worry authorities given the difficult weather conditions expected in coming days.
The blaze, which destroyed 15 of the 16 homes lost in Queensland over the past week, is 90 per cent contained but that could change when high winds arrive.
Damage assessments are continuing with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services saying the number of homes lost could rise.
But QFES assistant commissioner Tony Johnstone says crews have done a remarkable job protecting property.
‘It’s really hard to say how many houses we’ve saved but I’d say in excess of 300 or 400,’ he told ABC radio.
Temperatures near major fire grounds are expected to soar beyond 30C on Friday and into the weekend.
Approximately 50 homes were evacuated when the blaze broke out. Almost all of Queensland faces a high or very high fire danger on Friday
Almost the entire state is facing high or very high fire danger on Friday and there’s a chance of severe thunderstorms in the southeast that will produce little rain.
Former QFES commissioner Lee Johnson is among 23 fire and emergency services leaders demanding urgent federal action to phase out fossil fuels that are driving climate change and elevating Australia’s bushfire risks.
He says cyclones and floods – not fires – have always been Queensland’s primary threats, but that’s changing.
‘In my 40 years’ experience I don’t recall ever losing this amount of property at the start of a fire season, and it’s not over yet. Something has changed and it’s not good,’ he told ABC radio on Friday.
Noosa mayor Tony Wellington says his constituents are angry and frustrated that a lack of action on climate change has left them facing unprecedented fire threats.
He says councils need extra funding for dedicated disaster management staff.
‘At the moment our local disaster controller is simply one of our key staff – one of our executive directors,’ he told the ABC.
‘For the last two weeks in particular, but also over the last two months, they haven’t been able to carry on with their regular duties because they’re dealing with fire issues.’