Six emergency warnings issued in NSW, while many parts of the state and Queensland remain blanketed in smoke

This article is more than 9 months old

This article is more than 9 months old

Six emergency warnings have been issued for fires in New South Wales on Thursday, including the 230,000-hectare Gospers Mountain blaze on Sydney’s north-western outskirts, as firefighters battle through a “long and challenging day”.

Queensland fire crews are also still battling a large bushfire on the Darling Downs with fears some properties have been lost, as Sydney and large parts of New South Wales continue to struggle with “the longest and the most widespread” period on record of poor air quality and hazardous levels of pollution.

Strong westerly winds have been fanning the Gospers Mountain fire, with the possibility it could merge with the 6,000-hectare Three Mile blaze near Wisemans Ferry.

Unprepared residents in the Colo Heights and Upper Colo areas should leave south towards Wilberforce, the NSW Rural Fire Service said.

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Gary Flynn from the Wisemans Hotel says the small town is “dead quiet” as bushfires burn about a kilometre away across the Hawkesbury River. “We are just copping all the smoke,” he said.

“We are just keeping an eye on things at the moment. The town is dead quiet. It’s a different story for the poor buggers across the river.”

Ainslie DrewittSmith (@AinslieClaire) View from the bridge into Bawley Pt (looking south) on the NSW South Coast. Fire crews working on the Currowan blaze, monitoring for ember attack in the town. Many residents have already evacuated to Ulladulla. pic.twitter.com/mXR6MLwM3T

Emergency warnings have also been issued for the Currowan fire, near Batemans Bay, which already destroyed at least one home earlier this week, as well as the Three Mile fire near the Central Coast, the Little L Complex fire west of Newcastle, the Bangala Creek fire near Tenterfield in northern NSW and the North Black Range fire west of Braidwood.

The service says there are dangerous fire conditions across large parts of the state.

“Today will be a long and challenging day,” the RFS said on Thursday. “High temperatures and strong winds will make conditions dangerous at many of the 100-plus fires burning across NSW.”

A team of 21 fire management specialists arrived in Sydney from Canada on Thursday to help the state deal with the ongoing crisis.

Severe heat and fires in Queensland

One firefighter has been injured and there are fears properties have been lost to a fast-moving bushfire on Queensland’s Darling Downs.

The large fire, near Millmerran west of Toowoomba, sparked evacuations on Wednesday and has blackened almost 1200 hectares. It’s continuing to burn in the Western Creek State Forest near Cypress Gardens and Forest Ridge, but the threat has eased.

One firefighter was injured by a falling tree during backburning operations and was treated in hospital and later released.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services deputy commissioner John Bolger says there are unconfirmed reports that two structures have been lost but it’s not known if they are sheds or houses.

“We’re not sure of the number of properties that we’ve lost,” he told the ABC.

“But we’ll have aircraft up and ground crews as soon as it’s safe to get in there and assess any damage.”

Nathan Morris (@nathmorris) This was the fire that forced residents from Cypress Gardens near Millmerran yesterday. With mobile phone towers reportedly down, and the area still closed, dozens wait anxiously, planning to spend another night at the evacuation centre. @abcbrisbane @ABCemergency pic.twitter.com/tmVCkv2l5A

Cypress Gardens resident Douglas Grist fled as the blaze roared towards his property on Wednesday.

“It looks like it (the house) could be lost, but I escaped with my life and the dogs,” he told the ABC.

The fire danger remains severe on Thursday on the Darling Downs and Granite Belt, with Queensland’s southeast experiencing very hot conditions this week.

A watch-and-act warning remains in place for residents of Cypress Gardens and Forest Ridge.

The fire continues to burn near Cypress Avenue, Wallaby Drive, Koala Drive, Paddys Creek Road, Thyme Avenue, Basil Drive, Sage Road, Rosemary Court, Bay Road, Kimberley Drive and the Gore Highway, Cypress Gardens.

People who don’t have a bushfire plan have been advised to leave.

Part of the Gore Highway remains closed between Cypress Gardens and the BP at Captains Mountain.

Temperatures in many parts of Queensland were forecast to soar on Thursday, with Brisbane expecting 36C and Ipswich as high as 39C.

Hazardous smoke to linger in Sydney

The Bureau of Meteorology said heavy smoke billowing from bushfires surrounding Sydney would linger in the city basin until Saturday.

Hazardous levels of pollution were recorded in the east and south-west of Sydney on Wednesday. Heavy smoke has been blowing into the city from a large fire near Warragamba Dam near the Blue Mountains, the NSW RFS said.

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“An overnight temperature inversion will trap the smoke in the Sydney basin. This means smoke will settle in many areas and be very heavy,” the RFS said on Thursday.

“Smoke is also affecting areas including the north coast, central coast, Hawkesbury, Wollondilly, Queanbeyan and Shoalhaven areas.”

The NSW environment department said this season’s bushfire emergency had caused “some of the highest air pollution ever seen in NSW”.

“NSW has experienced elevated levels of pollutants as a result of smoke from the bushfire emergency, and dust caused by the severe drought,” a spokesman said.

“NSW has experienced other periods of poor air quality that lasted several weeks, including the 1994 Sydney bushfires and the Black Christmas bushfires of December 2001 to January 2002.

“This event, however, is the longest and the most widespread in our records.”

Winds averaging up to 50km/h are expected on Thursday along with gusts of up to 80km/h across the ranges, with Friday expected to be worse again.