Feb 15, 2019 Fire crews battling raging bushfires in northern New South Wales were working on Saturday to get the blazes contained before the forecast hot weather. The NSW Rural Fire. Nov 25, 2019 The fire started as just 2 to 3 acres in the area of Athens Avenue and North Foothills Boulevard near Thunder Valley Casino. But with almost 20 mph winds, it quickly exploded in size.
Updated December 09, 2019 00:56:35
Residents who were forced to flee a dangerous grass fire in Ipswich on Saturday thought 'the whole town would go up' after the blaze ignited a shipping container full of fireworks and flames edged dangerously close to homes.
The blaze was initially sparked by a house fire in Bundamba which quickly spread into nearby vegetation, causing more than a hundred people to evacuate and an emergency to be declared.
Firefighters were unable to save the house but confirmed no one was inside at the time.
At the peak of the emergency several homes were under threat and the blaze destroyed sheds, boats, cars and other property in neighbouring backyards.
Jason Parker tried to protect his house with a hose but the smoke and flames became too intense to stay.
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'It was very scary … it just took off like wildfire — it was insane,' he said.
Mr Parker said he feared the fire would destroy his home just nine years after it was inundated by water in the 2011 south-east Queensland floods.
'With a flood your house is still there, everything gets wet and dirty, but a fire — we would of lost everything. Just thank god the house is alright,' he said.
A shipping container of fireworks on Craig Stevenson's property exploded when the fire spread to his land.
Two other containers weren't damaged.
He said the fireworks were stored in a way to minimise the risk of damage.
'If you look at the structure, you can see that the way it's made that the fireworks actually exploded and the door came open and it all worked the way it should — luckily.'
'Thankfully they're all properly mounded and they're well maintained and luckily there is a lot of firefighting equipment around.'
Mr Stevenson said the blaze continued to reignite in several areas after it was extinguished and described the flames as moving like a 'tornado'.
'It was like you'd never seen. You could see it twisting in the air and moving in all directions,' he said.
Bundamba MP Jo Ann Miller said the fire was a reminder for Ipswich residents to stay vigilant.
'Everyone in Ipswich has been fairly well prepared for this fire season,' she said.
'We do know its been very, very hot, however this is a wake-up call for everyone in the Ipswich area to be very careful and vigilant.'
Topics:bushfire, fires, disasters-and-accidents, emergency-planning, qld, australia, brisbane-4000, north-booval-4304, bundamba-4304, kingaroy-4610, logan-central-4114
First posted December 08, 2019 16:50:12
Raging bushfires are a hallmark of Australian summers, but new technology in our firefighting arsenal could be critical for battling the blazes.
Fires are still raging across the nation. Picture: MyFireWatchSource:Supplied
More than 160 bush and grass fires are burning across NSW after about 100 fresh blazes ignited in a 24-hour period.
The NSW Rural Fire Service on Wednesday evening said 163 fires were burning in NSW with 75 uncontained. There were more than 2200 personnel in the field working to slow the progress of the blazes.
The Bureau of Meteorology said thunderstorms which hit Sydney on Tuesday afternoon and the state’s northeast in the evening had produced large hailstones and damaging winds — while lightning also sparked fresh fires.
“Over the past 24 hours, around 100 new fires kicked off,” the RFS posted on Twitter at 5.30pm on Wednesday.
“Crews will work over coming days to control this large number of fires ahead of forecast elevated fire danger on Saturday,” the agency posted later that evening.
Fires are still raging across the nation. Picture: MyFireWatchSource:Supplied
One persistent blaze on Myall Creek Road at Bora Ridge, south of Casino, was on Wednesday night downgraded from “watch and act” to “advice” level.
Total fire bans were in place in the New England and northern slopes regions on Wednesday due to very high fire danger.
While there are no total fire bans in place for Thursday, the Greater Hunter, Illawarra/Shoalhaven, Southern Ranges, Central Ranges, Northern Slopes and North Western fire regions will be under “very high” fire danger rating, as will the ACT.
Sydney’s air quality is forecast to be “poor” on Thursday due to particles. The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment issued a warning: “Unhealthy for sensitive people, and could cause symptoms, especially in people with heart or lung disease.”
Meanwhile, as crews continue work to contain the fires, NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliott helped launch a new campaign called “Are They Triple OK?” which aims to increase support for emergency workers.
The R U OK? suicide prevention organisation will provide free resources to foster a supportive work culture for firefighters and other personnel.
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Some 663 homes have been destroyed in bushfires this season. Picture: AAP Image/Dean LewinsSource:News Regional Media
“Having just spent three weeks dealing with the bushfire emergency … I can tell you the prolonged exposure to destruction, loss of life, loss of property, loss of farmland and loss of our native flora and fauna will have an effect on the mental health of our firefighters, our SES members and our other emergency services volunteers,” Mr Elliott told reporters in Sydney.
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“So (the campaign) is a very important part of ensuring we have sustainability when it comes to these individuals.” The bushfires also prompted calls from NSW Labor for the state’s auditor-general to investigate whether firefighters have the resources and support they need. “The message I have heard from my conversations with fireys across the state is that NSW needs more permanent and retained firefighters on the frontline to keep our communities safe,” opposition emergency services spokeswoman Trish Doyle said in a statement.
A teen RFS volunteer was charged this week with allegedly lighting seven fires in the Bega Valley since mid-October.
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Building impact assessment teams from the RFS continue to investigate damage in fire grounds across NSW. Picture: AAP Image/Dan HimbrechtsSource:News Regional Media
Blake William Banner, 19, allegedly lit a fire on Tuesday afternoon next to the Bega river, left the area and returned to fight the blaze with the RFS. Banner was charged with causing that fire as well as six others since October 17. He appeared before Bega Local Court on Wednesday where he was granted conditional bail.
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Building impact assessment teams from the RFS continue to investigate damage in fire grounds across NSW.
Some 663 homes have been destroyed in bushfires this season and six people have died.