Bushfires are threatening small communities in NSW’s central west near the town of Dunedoo.

Rural Fire Service says 2,500 firefighters in the field, with the situation most serious around Port Macquarie, Dunedoo, Mudgee, Boggabri and Kempsey

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Conditions rated as “catastrophic” left New South Wales firefighters battling dozens of blazes across the state with fears dozens of properties could be lost.



Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told reporters late on Sunday there were about 2,500 firefighters out in the field as more than 30 fires burned out of control.



Fires were most serious near Port Macquarie, Dunedoo, Mudgee, Boggabri and Kempsey, with the RFS issuing emergency warnings and telling residents it was too late to leave.



Fitzsimmons said at 4pm that firefighters had many hours of work ahead of them, with a southerly expected to move through. “Southerly changes always present significant challenges and significant dangers for firefighters and those that are in and around fire affected areas,” he said.

Dozens of properties might be damaged or destroyed near Port Macquarie and Dunedoo, Fitzsimmons said, and there may have been one home lost in Boggabri.



“At this stage we have got some unconfirmed reports of homes being lost, sheds being lost and machinery being lost, and other agricultural assets being lost on some of these fire grounds,” he said.



“A soon as it is safe and we are able to do so we will have building impact assessment specialists entering these fire grounds on the ground ... to try and articulate the level of loss.”



The Kamilaroi Highway near Boggabri, the Golden Highway near Dunedoo and Thunderbolts Way near Gloucester were closed due to bushfires, the Transport Management Centre said.

A large blaze was burning in the state’s central west, near Dunedoo, 430km north-west of Sydney, covering 2,000ha and jumping containment lines. Residents of the villages of Uarbry and Turill were urged to leave their homes if their path was clear. Emergency alert telephone messages were sent to people in the area.

Unprecedented fire danger for NSW as heatwaves continue across south-east Read more

“In these conditions, the fire will spread quickly. It will be difficult for firefighters to contain the fire,” the RFS said.

Large areas of NSW have experienced unprecedented fire danger conditions over the weekend as a trough produced hot, dry and gusty winds.

“This will produce widespread severe to catastrophic fire conditions in central and northern districts,” the Bureau of Meteorology said.

The bureau issued a catastrophic fire danger warning for the Greater Hunter, Central Ranges and North Western regions and extreme or severe danger warnings for many surrounding areas.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Gabrielle Woodhouse said conditions may worsen as relative humidity dropped.

“We’ve got the strong, gusty north-westerly winds and they’re already drying things out,” she said.



“It’s just getting hotter and hotter and getting windier.”

A statewide fire ban is in place amid scorching temperatures. Scone in the upper Hunter region, north of Sydney, hit 44C at midday and Walgett, in northern NSW, reached 46.4C at 2pm. Coonamble in the state’s central west registered 45.5C at 2.30pm.

“The simple message to the community in those areas particularly affected by catastrophic fire conditions is: do not be in a position where you may find yourself in front of a fire because you won’t survive it,” deputy fire commissioner Rob Rogers told ABC TV.



Commissioner Fitzsimmons said conditions were worse than those on Black Saturday in 2009, which claimed 173 lives and has been described as one of Australia’s worst peacetime disasters.



“These are unprecedented conditions not only in NSW but Australia and worse than the forecast for Black Saturday in Victoria,” he said.

Police pleaded with residents to heed warnings from authorities after three teenage bushwalkers were rescued from the Marramarra national park on the Hawkesbury River near Sydney.

The two women and one man set off about 2.30pm on Saturday carrying heavy backpacks and quickly ran out of water. They called emergency services and were rescued after 6pm suffering mild heat exposure and dehydration.

The acting assistant commissioner Kyle Stewart said the actions of the trio jeopardised the safety of both themselves and first responders.

“While the incident had a good outcome, it could have had a very different ending,” he said. “The simple message is stay out of the national parks and state forests and make sure you avoid any outdoor activities that will put you at risk.”

NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) Revised Fire Danger Ratings - Southern Ranges & Eastern Riverina now Very High Fire Danger. Report fires to Triple Zero (000) #NSWRFS pic.twitter.com/Qv5pK9880r

The heatwave across south-east Australia continued to break records. Parts of western Sydney reached 47C on Saturday afternoon, including Penrith, which experienced its hottest day on record.



The outback town of White Cliffs, in NSW’s north-west, broke the record for the hottest minimum overnight temperature. Residents endured a stifling night with a low of only 34.2 degrees.

Canberra recorded its second consecutive 40-degree day for only the third time in its history, while Sydney’s Observatory Hill broke the record for the longest-running spell of days above 35C, which now sits at 10.



A cooler change was expected to blow into Sydney late on Sunday with temperatures in the city not forecast to rise above 30C and a possible shower.



Queensland swelters

Records were broken across southern Queensland as the heatwave swept through.



Brisbane reached a maximum temperature of 37.6C just before noon on Sunday, shy of the sweltering 39C predicted by the Bureau of Meteorology.



But a reprieve from blazing conditions was not found in the remote town of Thargomindah, about 1,100km west of the capital, which took the crown for hottest February day on record at 47.2C.



All time maximum temperature records were also broken at Applethorpe, Warwick, Oakey, Gatton and Kingaroy.



Toowoomba in the Darling Downs not only had its hottest day but also reached 40C for the first time since records began.



The small town of Birdville on the south-eastern border still holds title for the state’s hottest day of 49.5C on 24 December 1972.



More than 35,000 Queenslanders took to the beach to cool off but Surf Life Saving lifeguards had to perform dozens of rescues, mostly swimmers who were outside the red and yellow flags.



A 49-year-old man was taken to Gympie Hospital in a critical condition after he attempted to rescue two boys whose inflatable toy had blown away at Norman Point beach near Tin Can Bay, south of Fraser Island.



A nine-year-old died at the scene while an eight-year-old was airlifted to Nambour hospital in a critical condition.



In Brisbane a young boy was taken to Lady Cilento gospital as a precaution after he was left alone in a hot car in a New Farm shopping centre’s underground car park.



Police urged parents not to leave their children unattended in a car, especially during such extreme weather conditions.



Paramedics have suggested swapping caffeinated drinks for water, eating small and regular meals and wearing light-coloured cotton clothing in a bid to keep hydrated.



RSPCA Queensland urged people to keep their pets cool after a dog died on Saturday morning when it was left tied to a clothes line without water.



Relief from the heat is not expected until Tuesday following the arrival of a south-easterly change.

With AAP

