Urgent Christmas bushfire warning as extreme conditions lead to total fire bans in multiple Aussie states
Emergency services are preparing for extreme forest fires during the Christmas holidays, with a total fire ban having been announced in several states.
Hot, dry conditions will hit South Australia on Christmas Day, with temperatures expected to reach around 30 degrees, leading to a total fire ban for the Mount Lofty Ranges and far west coast.
“We are in one of the driest periods on record in the history of South Australia,” Premier Peter Malinauskas said on Tuesday.
“That means that we only need heat and wind to create the conditions for a total fire ban and for high-risk firefighting.”
“We’ve had four firefighters injured as a result of a fire that didn’t have to start and that’s something that just sickens us,” Mr Malinauskas said.
Victorian emergency services are expecting the worst conditions since the deadly black summer of 2019-2020 on Boxing Day, with Country Fire Authority chief officer Jason Heffernan warning the flames will be difficult to contain.
The authority declared a total fire ban for Thursday, a day earlier than when such decisions are usually made.
“There are two major concerns on Thursday: the fires that are already burning and any new fires that arise as a result of the extreme fire risk,” Mr Heffernan said.
Victorian firefighters are trying to contain a massive blaze that threatens to engulf the Grampians National Park
Boxing Day in Victoria brings a particularly high fire risk, with gusty winds and temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius
People are being told to reconsider their travel plans on Boxing Day.
“Thursday is among the highest fire dangers we’ve seen in Victoria since Black Summer,” said Luke Hegarty from the State Control Center.
A 45,000 hectare fire in the Grampians National Park is expected to spread rapidly on Boxing Day, with forecast temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius and gusty winds potentially sparking fires up to 15km from the fire front.
“It will be a very warm day with strong and gusty northerly winds bringing extreme fire dangers for much of the state,” said Sarah Scully, the weather bureau’s senior meteorologist.
A windy south-westerly change later on Boxing Day is expected to bring cooler conditions and even some light showers, but could also shift fire fronts and make life more difficult for firefighters, Ms Scully said.
Hot and dry conditions pose extreme fire danger across Australia over the Christmas period
Mark Sleeman, chief executive of Grampians Tourism, said the fire is costing the local economy $1.9 million a day.
“We need immediate intervention and financial support from both the federal and state governments to restart our local visitor economy,” he told AAP.
Mr Sleeman almost lost his home in the Pomonal bushfires in February and will prepare to defend it again on Christmas Day while his family remains elsewhere.
“I will stay here until it is not safe to stay and then evacuate,” he said.
A new bushfire at Bullengarook in Melbourne’s northwest has been brought under control, while a fire near the Gurdies in west Gippsland continues to burn.
Several small bush and grass fires remain in NSW but are under control, although a significant part of the state faces high fire danger on Boxing Day.
In Western Australia, a ‘too late to leave’ warning was still in effect late on Tuesday for residents of the wheatbelt town of Northam in Western Australia.