Firefighters are protecting 4,000 people at the beach near Mallacoota, Victoria
Map showing warning areas near bushfires in Victoria, Australia. The areas with a black line and grey fill are designated for evacuation. The red lines indicate “emergency warning”. The arrow points toward Mallacoota, Victoria. The width of the largest emergency warning area is approximately 204km (110 miles), east to west. Map by Vic Emergency, Dec. 31, 2019 (local time)
According to numerous reports Tuesday morning local time, rapidly spreading bushfires in northeast Victoria are forcing residents and campers in the Mallacoota area to evacuate the town and take refuge on the coast. Approximately 4,000 to 5,000 people are hunkering down at the beach as a fire approaches the community.
Heavy smoke and huge pyrocumulus clouds created by the fires are putting Mallacoota in near darkness hours after the sun rose Tuesday, December 31.
It is believed that the truck rolled when hit by extreme winds associated with the fire
Map showing the Green Valley Fire, produced at 4 a.m. local time December 31, 2019. The fire is 43 miles east of Albury, NSW. Map by Victoria Emergency.
UPDATE: The New South Wales Rural Fire Service has identified the firefighter killed at the Green Valley Fire as Samuel McPaul from the Morven Brigade of the Southern Border Team. Today Service flags will be flown at half-mast as a mark of respect.
Samuel McPaul. Photo supplied by NSW RFS.
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service confirmed December 30 that a RFS volunteer firefighter died Monday evening near Jingellic. Two other firefighters on the same truck suffered burns and were transported to a hospital.
The firefighters were working on the Green Valley, Talmalmo Fire, approximately 70km (43 miles) east of Albury NSW when it is believed that “the truck rolled when hit by extreme winds associated with the fire” according to information released by the RFS. The incident occurred in NSW near the Victoria/NSW border 150km (93 miles) southwest of Canberra.
A second vehicle working in the same area was also blown over and the firefighter on board is being treated in a hospital.
Our sincere condolences go out to the family, friends, and coworkers of the firefighters.
New South Wales has been experiencing numerous large bushfires for the last month and in recent days Victoria has as well.
On the day two firefighters were killed on the Carr Fire near Redding, California July 26, 2018 winds associated with the fire were estimated at 136-165 mph (EF-3 tornado strength), as indicated by wind damage to large oak trees, scouring of the ground surface, damage to roofs of houses, and lofting of large steel power line support towers, vehicles, and a steel marine shipping container. Multiple fire vehicles were damaged by flying debris and had their windows blown out.
Map showing the Green Valley Fire
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tom. Typos or errors, report them HERE.
At least 40 additional fire personnel and several Meteorologists traveled across the equator recently
United States Incident Meteorologists in Australia.
Several dozen more firefighters and support personnel from North American arrived in Australia at the end of last week to assist in the bushfire campaigns that have been ongoing in the western part of the country for weeks. Earlier this month Canada and the United States each sent 21 firefighters. Those were followed up around December 20 with another 30 from Canada and 9 from the United States. In addition “several ” Incident Meteorologists from the U.S. are in the country to help provide weather forecasts for the firefighters.
The U.S. National Interagency Fire Center reported December 20 that a total of 33 personnel had been deployed from the U.S. to Australia. (UPDATE: on December 27 NIFC revised that number to 32.)
Thirty fire personnel from Canada arrived in Australia December 20. Photo: @NSWRFSU.S. fire personnel in Australia December 20, 2019. Photo: @NSWRFS
A survivor rode out the fire storm in a coffin-sized kiln
Many structures have been destroyed by the rapidly spreading Green Wattle Creek bushfire in the small community of Balmoral, New South Wales. Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian said “there isn’t much left” of the town in the Southern Highlands 49 air miles southwest of Sydney, Australia.
The fire burned through Balmoral twice, once on Thursday and again Saturday when it was pushed by strong winds that accompanied a frontal passage. The town, population 426 in the 2016 census, has about 150 homes.
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service reports that the Green Wattle Creek Bushfire has burned 474,000 acres. About 12km to the north is a huge blaze that is the product of four bushfires burning together — Gospers Mountain, Kerry Ridge, Little L Complex, and Three Mile. These five fires southwest and northwest of Sydney have burned a total of 2,228,000 acres (926,000 hectares).
Satellite photo of Balmoral, NSW. Google Earth. Jan. 3, 2019
As the Green Wattel Creek Bushfire burned through Balmoral Steve Harrison, a 67-year old artist, a potter, survived by climbing into a small kiln.
The day before I had actually built myself a small kiln down the back — a coffin-sized kiln — just big enough for me to crawl inside. I was in there for half an hour while the firestorm went over. That was my plan B.
Previously he had installed pumps and sprinklers to protect his home. Before the fire approached he and his wife wrapped their home in aluminum foil. The house survived, but his potting shed was destroyed.
Aviation rescue crews from the military have been checking homes and removing people at risk when there is no other option.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tom. Typos or errors, report them HERE.
The Gospers Mountain Fire northwest of Sydney, Australia has burned 1.1 million acres
Satellite photo showing smoke from bushfires in New South Wales, Australia Dec. 21, 2019 local time.
Firefighters in New South Wales, Australia had another challenging day Saturday as a weather front came through which changed the wind direction. The 17 mph northeast wind shifted at about 5 p.m. local time to come out of the south at 36 gusting to 45. The only factor that was in their favor was the relative humidity was not extremely low — 46 percent rising to 80 percent after the frontal passage.
Major changes in wind direction can force a wildfire to begin spreading in a different direction. If it is unexpected, firefighters at the heel of a fire can suddenly be facing a fire spreading toward them. On the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013 a passing thunderstorm forced a wind direction change that entrapped and killed 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. The wind shift in New South Wales Saturday was predicted — as was the passage of the thunderstorm at Yarnell Hill.
Very early Sunday morning local time the New South Wales Rural Fire service provided updated information: “Both the Gospers Mountain fire in the Hawkesbury area and the Currowan fire in the Shoalhaven area have been downgraded to Watch and Act. The winds from the southerly change have now eased, reducing the erratic fire behaviour.”
The largest fire in NSW started two months ago. The huge Gospers Mountain Fire northwest of Sydney has burned 1,156,000 acres. It has merged with three other fires, Kerry Ridge, Little L Complex, and Three Mile, to cover a total of 1,742,000 acres. The Green Wattle Creek Fire southwest of Sydney has been mapped at 467,000 acres to bring the five-fire total to 2,209,000. If they continue spreading as they have for weeks, the Green Wattle Creek Fire could merge with the other four.
We tend to call fires that reach 100,000 acres “megafires”. We need a new term for million-acre fires.
This is not normal.
Map of bushfires in New South Wales showing projected spread and ember attack, Dec. 21, 2019.
There are other large fires north and south of Sydney and also in Eastern Victoria.
And then there is Western Australia. Last weekend the country’s new-to-them 737 air tanker, N137CG, flew 2,000 miles west across the continent to assist firefighters dealing with a fire about 100 miles south of Perth.
There were more injuries to firefighters Saturday, including one who was hit by a car during very smoky conditions. Thankfully he was not seriously injured.
The red dots represent heat detected on bushfires by a satellite at 1740Z December 19, 2019. NASA.
In addition to the rollover of a fire truck on December 19 in New South Wales that killed two firefighters and injured three, in a separate incident the same day five firefighters were entrapped by fire, injuring three firefighters. Two males, age 36 and 56, were airlifted to a hospital after suffering face, airway, and other burns.
“Given the serious potential for airway burns, the advice is… they’ll be intubated,” said New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons
A third person, a 28-year-old female, was transported by ground ambulance after suffering smoke inhalation and less severe burns.
Both incidents occurred on the Green Wattle Creek Bushfire in the Lake Burragorang area. The fire is more than 176,000 hectares (435,000 acres) in size and is out of control.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Karl. Typos or errors, report them HERE.
