Australian Wind warning as 66 Wildfires burn in NSW
Pastor Dale Morgan
Australian Wind warning as 66 Wildfires burn in NSW*
November 22, 2006 09:28am
Article from: AAP
AUSTRALIA- SIXTY six bushfires were burning throughout NSW today ahead
of an expected hot, windy day, firefighters said.
Rural Fire Service Commissioner Phil Koperberg warned some townships in
the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, would be threatened by a major
bushfire burning in the area.
Forecasters have warned of wind gusts up to 45kph and temperatures over
30 degrees celsius today - terrible conditions for firefighters.
"There will be periodic threats to some of the upper Blue Mountains
townships, particularly the northern side of Blackheath as fire creeps
around a place called Anvil Rock but that area has been well resourced,"
Mr Koperberg told Southern Cross Broadcasting.
"On the northern side the fire has moved some two kilometres east,
parallel to the Bells Line of Road, so that's going to be a major
problem later today."
Mr Koperberg said under the current north westerly winds, he was not
worried about the central townships on the main ridge such as Lawson,
Hazelbrook, Wentworth Falls and Leura.
"I don't think it's going to emerge there," Mr Koperberg said.
"We're not going to extinguish this fire in the immediate future though,
so these threats will emerge periodically as the wind drives the fire
along the ridge tops in towards these towns, but that is not imminent,
other than Blackheath."
He said firefighters were taking measures to protect outlying property
at Blackheath.
"People living in that general area should be aware that from time to
time fire will encroach on their proximity and embers are going to be a
problem.
"But we're keeping the community briefed on exactly where these fires
are and what we are doing about them."
He said a squadron of water bombing aircraft would again be deployed to
tackle the Blue Mountains fire and other fires throughout NSW.
Mr Koperberg said between 2,000 to 3,000 fire fighters were working on
the 66 fires throughout NSW.
He also said the death of a man on the NSW south coast yesterday,
initially blamed on bushfires, was "an unrelated incident".
"The elderly gentleman was tending to some beehives," Mr Koperberg said.
"And in that process ... it would appear, based on initial reports, that
he may have had a mishap with a device designed to calm the bees.
"That device (a smoke generator) apparently set fire to the grass and in
an attempt to suppress that fire he may have become entangled in a fence
and sadly lost his life.
"But it wasn't related to a bushfire as we would normally describe it."