115 Fires In NSW, 59 Burning Out Of Control; Approaching Heatwave Will Intensify Risk At 46C (115F)
Weary NSW firefighters are bracing for the "worst possible circumstances" as an intense heatwave sweeping the state in coming days combines with low humidity, strong winds, and several already-aggressive fires burning near populated areas.
Rural Fire Service deputy commissioner Rob Rogers told reporters on Tuesday a dozen homes were lost when a critical backburn on the southern flank of the Gospers Mountain "mega-blaze" got out of control on Sunday night, jumping the Bells Line of Road in the Blue Mountains.
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Deputy Commissioner Rogers said he is concerned about "how aggressively fire is behaving" during "relatively benign" weather over recent days, and how that bodes for later in the week when a heatwave is set to raise temperatures into the mid-40s.
"Add that with strong winds and you've got the worst possible circumstances and also so much fire in the landscape in so close a proximity to urban areas, it's really an awful situation." In addition to the fires' proximity to populated areas, he said crews are concerned about another front of the same fire creeping towards a coal mine in Springvale that supplies 10 per cent of the state's electricity.
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https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/firefighters-brace-for-worst-possible-circumstances-ahead-of-intense-heatwave-20191217-p53knx.html
