Power cut to 1,800 homes in Tasmania, which is braced for a second surge of high winds

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A woman has died and a man is seriously injured after a tree fell on their car in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, as gales cut power to 1,800 homes in Tasmania.

The women has been identified as NSW paramedic Dearne Fulcher. She suffered fatal injuries and could not be revived.

Authorities found the pair’s Volvo sedan crushed under the large tree on Victoria Street in Katoomba about 7pm on Thursday.

The trapped driver, aged in his 20s, was freed and flown to Westmead hospital with head and chest injuries. He remains in hospital in a serious condition.

On Friday, NSW Ambulance confirmed Fulcher was one of their senior paramedics and clinicians, with more than 25 years experience.

The organisation described her as a “shining light in her community and her profession”.

“Always an extraordinary paramedic, Dearne displayed an enormous passion for delivering first-rate care,” NSW Ambulance wrote in a tribute posted to Twitter.

“We, and the community of Katoomba, are forever indebted to Dearne’s service.”

Fulcher, who started with NSW Ambulance in 1994, was awarded a Bronze Bravery medal in 2002 for her work treating patients following a “devastating” series of fires at Medlow Bath.

What caused the tree to fall remains unclear but a severe weather warning was in place for damaging winds.

A witness, Samantha Jones, said it had sounded “like a bomb going off”.

South-east Australia braces for cold front with rain, snow and damaging winds Read more

“It was the loudest explosion I’d ever heard,” she said. “I didn’t know what had happened. I thought seriously a bomb had been dropped.”

Severe weather warnings were issued on Wednesday for south-eastern Australia as polar winds and blizzards swept across parts of South Australia, Victoria and NSW.

Parts of Tasmania were bracing for a second surge of wild weather on Friday. A severe weather warning for damaging winds was in place for the state’s south-east, including Hobart, the west, the north and the Bass Strait islands.

It came after wild weather on Wednesday night cut power to homes, predominantly in the north and north-west. The worst-affected area was north of Launceston, where more than 500 properties were without power for most of Thursday. Low Head, on the north coast, had gusts of up to 95km/h, while winds at Hogan Island hit 135km/h.

Tasmania police received about 30 weather-related call-outs, and has warned drivers to watch out for fallen branches.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a minor flood warning for the Meander, Mersey, North Esk and Macquarie rivers. Abnormally high tides are predicted around Hobart.