NSW fire ratings for Sunday worse than Victoria's Black Saturday
Updated
"You will not outrun these fires", the NSW fire chief has warned, urging people to avoid or leave the bush before Sunday as the state gears up for catastrophic fire ratings worse than the Black Saturday conditions in 2009.
Key points:
- Campers and hobbyists should vacate bush areas with catastrophic and extreme fire warnings
- Many National Parks are closed on Sunday
- Record temperatures were recorded across the state on Saturday
The mercury surged past 40C in more than 50 of the state's cities and towns on Saturday afternoon but the real danger is Sunday.
"The conditions for Sunday are the worst possible conditions, they are catastrophic — we haven't seen this in NSW to this extent ever," warned Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons of today's fire danger.
"It's not another summer's day. It's not another bad fire day. This is as bad as it gets."
Citing Australia's worst bushfire disaster — the Black Saturday blazes, which claimed 173 lives in February 2009 — Mr Fitzsimmons said "the forecast indices (for Sunday) are greater than those faced by Victoria at the time".
Parks shut down: No camping, bushwalking, riding
Mr Fitsimmons told people to avoid areas of catastrophic and severe fire danger and said: "We cannot guarantee that a fire truck will be at every house.
"This is not a safe environment."
National parks in the high fire dangers areas across the state were being shut down so fewer people might be caught out.
"We don't want people camping, we don't want people bushwalking, we don't want people out there four-wheel driving or riding their motorbikes through at risk areas — the risk is real," Mr Fitzsimmons said.
Records smashed across NSW
The highest temperature in the state on Saturday was Ivanhoe at 47.6C; the highest record for anywhere in NSW was recorded in 1939 at 49.7C.
There were many records broken across the state:
- Penrith on Saturday reached 46.9C, beating its previous record of 46.5C;
- Forbes recorded 45.5C, with its previous record only 44C;
- Williamtown also reached 45.5C after a previous high of 44.7C.
On Sunday, conditions would intensify in centres including Dubbo, Coonabarabran and Narrabri in the north through to the Hunter Valley and the coast at Port Stephens.
The Bureau of Meteorology said very hot conditions associated with the mass of air, combined with fresh westerly winds over the southern half of the state, meant severe fire danger throughout Saturday for the Central and Southern ranges, Lower Central West and Hunter districts.
The monster hot air mass hovering over NSW had had "a baking effect" on vegetation, which meant extreme warnings would pose major risks.
Mr Fitzsimmons urged people to prepare early and stay out of danger by spending time at the movies or a local shopping centre.
The Australian Market Energy Operator said NSW faced a possible lack of power supply on Saturday afternoon, with the risk increasing into the evening.
AGL cut back on electricity use in the afternoon at its Tomago Aluminium Smelter in Newcastle, which uses about 10 per cent of the state's power.
ABC/AAP
Topics: fires, bushfire, weather, nsw
First posted
