Twelve houses are destroyed due to bushfires in New South Wales, Australia on Saturday. Photo / Central Coast Council Handout
Firefighters face new dangers as thunderstorms and strong southerly winds risk pushing 20 uncontained wildfires across New South Wales into fresh areas.
The NSW Royal Fire Service today said 76 fires are burning, with 20 considered out of control.
RFS deputy commissioner Ben Millington old ABC Breakfast the key danger today was winds that would push the fires into a different direction.
“There’s a potential for the fire to travel to the north, and we’ve crews in place to protect homes should that occur,” he said.
“That wind is now from the south; it could potentially move the fire to the north, which has its own issues.”
Fire crews are prioritising active blazes before authorities can assess the full scale of destruction.
Millington said while conditions had eased from yesterday’s inferno, wind and thunderstorm threats remained.
“We’ve got more moderate conditions today,” he said.
“A lot less heat, we do have strong winds and the chance of thunderstorms. Firefighters are continuing to work right across the state on all of these fires, not just in the Central Coast, but also in the upper Hunter ... we’ve got a fire burning up there, quite a large fire, about 11,000ha.”
On Saturday the ferocious bushfire destroyed 12 homes on the Central Coast, with an extreme heatwave leading to more than 75 bushfires across the state.
This was contained to 20 throughout the night.
Locals in parts of Koolewong, between Gosford and Woy Woy, were told to leave as an apparent change in wind direction suddenly sent the blaze towards homes on Saturday afternoon.
Reports emerged of panicked locals scrambling to grab pets and valuables before racing to emergency centres or seeking refuge with friends and family.
More than 1500 firefighters and 300 vehicles were deployed statewide as temperatures soared, with Penrith climbing above 41C and extreme fire danger declared across the Hunter, Sydney, Illawarra and Central Coast.
Millington told reporters the terrain around the Central Coast fires hampered firefighting efforts.
“Firefighters did a fantastic job, albeit we did lose some 12 or so homes,” he said.
“They were supported by aircraft, including the RFS Chinook helicopter, the large air tanker, they worked throughout the afternoon and right through the night to protect those homes.”
“We’ve still got a southerly change coming through and that’s where our focus continues to be.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns noted the devastating impacts of the bush fires on many in the local communities.
“We know at least 12 homes have been destroyed on the Central Coast but that number is likely to be higher and we are devastated for those families,” he said in an interview with the ABC.
“Obviously that is the worst news imaginable in the run-up to Christmas, it is exactly what they didn’t need and is a reminder of how devastating these fires can be.”
Minns spoke of the high winds and heat firefighters dealt with, noting the fire had jumped a large stretch of water to hit the town of Woy Woy.
“Just to put it into perspective, the fire embers jumped a stretch of water over a kilometre long, so this was a fast-moving, very dangerous fire in a residential area and we owe a debt of gratitude of the members of the RFS, who put their lives on the line for the state.”
According to the Premier, December will be “pretty tough” with more bushfires expected.
“Unfortunately, we are likely to have more volatile weather periods due to the changing climate.
“I would love to be able to say we are out of the woods and the worst is behind us, but the truth is that is not the case.
“It is very important that people have their fire evacuation and preparedness plans in place.”
The state and federal governments have declared the bushfires a natural disaster, allowing for financial support for locals in the regions.
Measures that may be provided to communities include:
“The Albanese and Minns Governments are working together to get support to communities impacted by these bushfires as quickly as possible,” federal minister for emergency management Kristy McBain said.