Aussie bushfire update! Incredible footage, 70m flames confront firefighters: Bushfires blazing out

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The Big Wobble 12/16/2019

Aussie bushfire update! Incredible footage, 70m flames confront firefighters: Bushfires blazing out of control on opposite sides of the continent: Homes threatened in both Sydney and Perth

Bushfires rage in New South Wales and Western Australia threatening homes Massive flames have been reported in a "mega-fire" north-west of Sydney that has jumped a creek and has consumed homes near a landmark.

Bushfires are blazing out of control on opposite sides of the continent with homes threatened outside both Sydney and Perth. More homes are thought to have been lost in the path of a major blaze in the Wollemi National Park, northwest of Sydney, where residents were told it was too late to leave. On Sunday, 106 bush and grass fires were continuing to burn across NSW, with 57 not yet contained. On Monday, total fire bans will be in place for five areas of NSW - Far North Coast, Central Ranges, New England, Northern Slopes & North Western.

In Western Australia, a new bushfire is threatening lives and homes in Mogumber, north of Perth. An emergency warning has been issued and residents have been asked to shelter.

NEW SOUTH WALES

Close to Sydney, residents faced an emergency warning for the Gospers Mountain blaze on Sunday. This huge fire was almost 370,000 hectares in size. The ABC reported flames up to 70 metres high had been seen and several homes in the Hawkesbury were lost. Others said the flames were up to 20 metres high.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

In WA, firefighters are battling a blaze north of Perth, near Mogumber, that's already burned through almost 12,000 hectares. An emergency warning was issued and residents asked to shelter. The bushfire is out of control and moving fast in a north-easterly direction. Thousands of properties have been saved from another bushfire raging out of control at Yanchep, around 100 kilometres west from Mogumber, but authorities said the threat isn’t over. The Yanchep blaze remains at an emergency warning after firefighters protected more than 6000 homes from the near-12,000 hectare blaze. News.com.au

More: http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/aussie-bushfire-update-incredible.html

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Aussie bushfire update! Public health emergency high levels of cancer-causing particles (PM2.5) Record-breaking heatwave intensifies: Fires showing extraordinary behaviour

http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/aussie-bushfire-update-public-health.html

More home lost along the Sydney outskirts as record-breaking heat intensifies.

The number of properties damaged or destroyed by bushfires raging across New South Wales is set to rise after firefighters lost control of a backburn, inadvertently starting another blaze. Up to 20 buildings - including homes - are feared lost after the huge Gospers Mountain blaze northwest of Sydney spread out of control on Sunday. Almost 2000 firefighters were battling 108 blazes across NSW on Monday, ahead of extreme heat forecast for much of Australia throughout the rest of the week. Heat records could tumble, with forecast tops of 44C in Adelaide on Friday, 41C in Melbourne on Friday, and 43C in Canberra on Saturday. Areas of inland South Australia are forecast to have five consecutive days of 45C or hotter, with three consecutive days of 47C and above. Brisbane equalled its record for the hottest December day at 41.2C on Monday. The Guardian

Toxic Sydney bush fire haze a public health emergency because of the high levels of tiny particles (PM2.5) which can cause lung cancer

Australia's biggest city is facing a "public health emergency" over the bush fire smoke that has choked Sydney for weeks, leading doctors warned on Monday (Dec 16) after hospitals reported a dramatic spike in casualty department visits. Hundreds of bush fires have been raging across Australia for months, with a "mega-blaze" burning north of Sydney destroying many homes overnight and fires near Perth threatening towns. More than 20 medical groups including the Royal Australasian College of Physicians - which represents 25,000 doctors and trainees - released a joint statement on Monday calling on Australia's government to address the toxic air pollution. "The air pollution in NSW (New South Wales) is a public health emergency," the Climate and Health Alliance said. "Smoke from bush fires has produced air pollution of up to 11 times the base 'hazardous' level in parts of Sydney and New South Wales," it said. "Bush fire smoke is particularly hazardous because of the high levels of tiny particles (PM2.5)." See map below. The Strait Times

"Some extraordinary behaviour of that fire"

A backburning operation intended to contain a massive wildfire in eastern Australia sparked out of control, damaging buildings and cutting off major roads, authorities said, as the country heads into another heatwave that may topple temperature records. The accident occurred about 250km northwest of Sydney, where firefighters were trying to stop a blaze of some 378,000 hectares reaching communities by employing pre-emptive controlled burning. “We saw a dramatic shift in conditions, a flare-up of fire, some extraordinary behaviour of that fire, and that fire has spread,” New South Wales state Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Monday. FMT News

Nearly 100 fires have torched an area bigger than Connecticut in New South Wales.