Winter fire behavior in Australia ‘not seen before’
By MALCOLM BROWN
WINTER fires burning on the South Coast yesterday, threatening property and forcing residents to prepare for evacuation, sounded a grim warning for the summer, the Minister for Emergency Services, Steve Whan, said. ”People at the Fire Control Centre have told me that they have not seen this type of fire behaviour at this time of year before,” Mr Whan said. ”Firefighters are battling gusty winds, which are creating unpredictable conditions for the crews. The early start of the fire season is a reminder that people should start preparing their homes for the upcoming season.” An assistant commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service, Rob Rogers, said the fires on the South Coast, particularly those near Ulladulla, had been whipped up by capricious winds and fuelled by dry bushland. Fires were also burning near Fingal Bay at Port Stephens, between Tenterfield and Inverell in the Northern Tablelands, on the Putty Road north of Sydney and in the Tilba district on the Far South Coast. About 500 firefighters from the RFS, the Fire Brigades and the National Parks and Wildlife Service worked across the state and 90 aircraft were deployed on the South Coast. Yesterday morning firefighters discovered one property lost to fire, a deserted hut near Burrill Lake, south of Ulladulla. As of yesterday afternoon it was the only property lost. ”We still have 65 per cent of the state drought-declared, and an El Nino effect is forecast for this spring, which will bring higher than average temperatures,” Assistant Commissioner Rogers said. ”It is quite an interesting end to winter. With fire behaviour like this in August, there might be extreme fires in summer.” …
