Sydney bushfires: South Turramurra blaze burning out of control as fireys fear wind change

A fire that threatened to destroy dozens of multimillion-dollar homes in Sydney’s suburbs may have been deliberately lit by firebugs.

The blaze was burning out of control in forest close to homes near South Turramurra on the city’s North Shore, with flames leaping as high as four metres into the air. 

The blaze began just after 4.20pm on Tuesday, with an RFS operated Hercules helicopter dropping fire retardant on the area around Canoon Road and Kissing Point Road at about 4.45pm.

Residents in the area were told it was too late to leave.  

‘Walked out the front door, fire trucks racing down the street, flames three, four metres tall…pretty hectic,’ Sean Murphy told Nine News.

Another resident added: ‘It seems like only 20 to 30 metres in but it only took five or 10 minutes until the whole lot took up and flames probably about 150 feet in the air through the tree tops.’

The bushfire threat has since been downgraded from emergency to advice level.

‘The fire is under control and the immediate threat to properties has eased,’ NSW RFS tweeted just before 6pm. 

There are fears the South Turramurra blazes may have been deliberately lit.

‘Someone came up to me and asked if I saw anyone running out of the bushes because they think it could have been arson,’ one resident told Seven News.   

NSW Police has confirmed a crime scene has been established in bushland where the fires broke out.

‘We’re investigating the circumstances of those fires,’ a police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.

Fires burned out of control in Sydney’s north ahead of a wind change on Tuesday night that could send infernos in a completely new direction, spelling disaster for at risk areas.

Firefighters have been on high-alert since early Tuesday morning, with a mix of 37C temperatures and winds of up to 90km/h sparking a ‘catastrophic’ warning across swathes of New South Wales, including the state capital. 

A firefighter battling the South Turramurra blazes suffered a broken arm while scaling a fence to access a property to fight the fire. 

Another two firefighters were also taken to hospital after they suffered smoke inhalation while fighting fires in the Hunter region north of Sydney. 

On the state’s north coast, a blaze along the Liberation Trail north-west of Coffs Harbour has been updated to emergency level.

‘The fire has breached containment lines and is threatening Yarracooma, Paddys Plain, Cradle Creek and Lowanna. If you are in these areas, leave now towards Dorrigo before it is too late,’ NSW RFS warned.

At 6.30pm on Tuesday, 13 bushfires across NSW were at emergency warning  while another seven were at watch and act with dangerous conditions forecast for another few more hours.

While temperatures across NSW should drop by up to 10C this evening, the hour between 6pm and 7pm is the time that experts claim could be the most dangerous for areas around Sydney, including the Blue Mountains.

A change in winds forecast for this time could see fires switch directions instantly, turning the flank of blazes that are under control into towering walls of fire. 

NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons urged residents to remain vigilant. 

‘We have been dealing with fires on the north coast, new fires in other parts of New South Wales, including the Greater Sydney environment, he told reporters late Tuesday afternoon. 

‘We need people to remain vigilant and act in accordance with their plan and any guidance provided by the authorities. We still have many hours yet of these strong dry winds to dominate and influence weather and fire behaviour. 

‘We’ve still got the southerly change expected to move through later tonight, across the fire grounds still burning up in northern New South Wales. We’re watching very closely at the fire north of Hawkesbury, in the north of the Hawkesbury area, moving into Putty Road. It’s developing a fairly significant smoke column, so we’re mindful of the potential for that fire to continue to burn and burn aggressively for some time.’ 

He added that firefighters and people on the ground will have to deal with whatever the southerly change brings on Tuesday night while aircraft are grounded.

‘So the last thing we can afford is for people to become complacent or become relaxed, because we’re getting towards the end of the day,’ Commissioner Fitzsimmons said. 

Those fighting the fires in northern NSW will be on edge well into the night, with the strong winds not expected to reach Taree and surrounding areas until closer to midnight.

At 5pm there were more than 50 blazes burning in both NSW and Queensland with up to 20,000 firefighters trying to stop them spreading, and the Army preparing to use helicopters to evacuate residents whose lives are at risk.  

Thousands of residents on the NSW mid-north coast have already been told that it is too late to leave their homes.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian declared a ‘state of emergency’ on Sunday, handing control over the management of the bushfires to the Rural Fire Service.

As part of this move, RFS officers have the ability to force people to evacuate at risk areas even if they want to stay and defend their homes.  

Sydneysiders woke up to a smoky but calm morning with two infernos – one in the Hawkesbury and another in the Blue Mountains – under control.

But fire bosses warned against complacency and said the fires are likely to spread throughout the day, potentially threatening 100,000 homes around the Harbour City.

Between 1pm and 2.30pm today the number of fires under emergency status in mid-north NSW rapidly increased from five to ten as firefighters brace for ‘really long night’ when winds pick up after dark.

Rural Fire Service NSW commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says Tuesday is playing out as predicted with average winds up to 60km/h across the ranges, with gusts over 70km/h. 

‘The reality is conditions will simply continue to get worse and deteriorate over the coming hours,’ Mr Fitzsimmons said.

‘They will continue to strengthen and build ahead of the passage of that cold front that’s moving across the state.

‘Later on today, we’re expecting the southerly to start influencing and driving like a southerly buster up the coastal strip, and more southwesterly-southerly across the ranges and further inland.’

While a cool change would normally be seen as good news, meteorologist Rob Sharpe explained the dangers of it to Sky News. 

‘Any fires burning near the coast will become extremely dangerous as the change arrives as the fire flank will suddenly become the fire front,’ Mr Sharpe said.

‘We’ve noticed that at 9am the cool change crossed the Victorian and NSW border slightly ahead of the forecast.

‘The southerly buster is due to reach Wollongong around 5pm, Sydney at 6pm or 7pm and Newcastle close to 8pm.’

Four people were charged by NSW Police on Tuesday for breaching a total fire ban, including a nine-year-old boy.

The youngster was caught using a blowtorch to light a fire in long grass behind Sullivan Street at Worrigee, near Nowra. He was issued a warning under the Young Offenders Act.

Adding to the pain for firefighters and residents in at-risk is a distinct lack of rain on the horizon over coming days.

In fact according to RFS commissioner Mr Fitzsimmons, dry and warm conditions are due to dominate for the days and weeks, with 

‘As we look out a little bit further, we’re expecting a cyclical pattern of increasing temperatures as we head into the end of this week and indeed as we head into next week,’ he said.

‘It’s going to be a long, difficult fire season, and we’ve got the worst of our conditions typically ahead of us over the coming months as we head into summer.’ 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned against complacency, saying this morning was the ‘calm before the storm’.

‘We’re not expecting the front until the early afternoon around 2pm… it will be a strong wind and will blow its way all the way up the coast,’ he told Ray Hadley on radio station 2GB on Tuesday morning. 

But the PM tried to prevent mass panic, adding: ‘Just want to assure people, Ray, that everything that can be done is being done.’  

‘The one mercy in all this is there’s been a few days to prepare and for people to prepare and I trust people have done that,’ he said. 

A fire at Mount Gosper in the Hawkesbury was put out at around 2pm – around the same that another grass fire flared out of control in Penrith, while a blaze at Woodford in the Blue Mountains remained under control.

In a press conference at 2pm, Mr Fitzsimmons said he hoped there would be no new fires around Sydney. 

‘Touch wood, we don’t have any significant outbreaks of new fire at this stage, causing any issue. But we still can’t rule that out,’ he said.   

Further north, the towns of Coffs Harbour and Nambucca Heads are bracing for catastrophe as fires there are expected to burn all the way to the coast on Tuesday afternoon. 

As of 2.30pm there were ten fires under emergency status in New South Wales on the mid-north coast – as firefighters prepared for a long night.

A blaze at Thunderbolts Way in Bretti, northwest of Taree, is burning across 10,000 hectares and is out of control, while residents at Nowendoc and Mount George have been told ‘it is too late to leave’.

Another out-of-control fire at nearby Hillville is burning across nearly 20,000ha.

There are also emergency fires further north, at Llangothlin north of Armidale, and Torrington north of Glen Innes, with the latter blaze already razing 60,000ha.

A fifth emergency was also issued at Carrai East in Willi Willi National Park, northwest of Port Macquarie, for an out-of-control fire over 75,000ha. The fire is heading towards east towards Kempsey, with those in the town’s west under threat.

There are two fires in Queensland with prepare to leave warnings at Townson and Clumber. 

Meanwhile, police have warned about criminals looting from the ruined houses of devastated bushfire victims in the mid-north coast of NSW.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said any thefts would be ‘thoroughly’ investigated, adding: ‘These communities have suffered enough without individuals stealing what items they have left.’ 

Mr Fitzsimmons said the RFS had taken all necessary preparations, but were still left to hope for the best. 

‘We plan for these sorts of days but we always hope they never come,’ he said on Tuesday morning.

‘We are planned, we are escalated to a heightened level of stand-by and readiness in anticipation of anything that might break out today.

‘All that can be done is being done. All that needs to be done today will be done. We need everybody to do their part.’ 

Amid the dangerous conditions, the Rural Fire Service urged residents to report anyone tossing a lit cigarette, which carries a $1,320 fine on total fire ban days such as today.

On Monday the Rural Fire Service warned residents in dangerous areas to escape while there was still time.

‘Some fires may start and spread so quickly there is little time for a warning, so do not wait and see,’ a statement read.

‘There are simply not enough fire trucks for every house. If you call for help, you may not get it. Do not expect a firetruck. Do not expect a knock on the door. Do not expect a phone call. Your safest option will always be to leave early.’   

Mr Fitzsimmons urged people living in areas facing the worst threat – including the North Shore, the Hawkesbury region, Penrith, Campbelltown and Sutherland – to leave now. 

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian declared a state of emergency on Monday, the first since the Blue Mountains bushfires in 2013, warning, ‘tomorrow is not the day to be complacent’.

‘You might think you’re OK and a few minutes later you won’t be. Please heed all the messages you receive,’ ‘Ms Berejiklian said. 

So far, fires in the NSW north-east have claimed three lives, destroyed more than 150 homes, and razed more than 1 million hectares (3,800 square miles) of forest and farmland since Friday. 

The week-long declaration of a state of emergency gives the Rural Fire Service sweeping powers to control resources and direct other government agencies. 

Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell issued an order to local base commanders to use defence resources in fire efforts. 

Firefighter strike teams have also been transported from Canberra, Adelaide and Hobart to Port Macquarie. 

More than 400 NSW schools were closed on Tuesday, including about 300 public schools and more than 100 Catholic and independent schools. More than 50 did not operate on Monday. About 20 TAFE campuses will also close.   

‘Safety remains the number one priority. If it is not safe to travel to school please do not attend and inform the school of your intention,’ NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell warned.  

Doctors and paramedics have already treated more than 100 people for fire-related injuries, including 20 firefighters, Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan said.

Authorities said the catastrophic fire danger rating is in effect for the Greater Sydney, Greater Hunter, Illawarra/Shoalhaven areas.  

But fire bosses have warned ‘no area is entirely safe’ as high winds could send dangerous embers capable of sparking secondary fires towards beachside suburbs such as Manly and even Sydney’s CBD.

Ben Shepheard of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service warned that ‘everywhere in Sydney’, as well as surrounding areas, may be affected. 

‘The high winds we are expecting on Tuesday mean that embers travel large distances. For example, if there is a fire in Garigal National Park then embers may fall in and around Manly,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.    

 Sydney nursing homes and aged care centres are also preparing for the worst and have been reviewing evacuation plans.  

In Sydney’s Northern Beaches, police issued a statement on social media on Monday warning residents that tomorrow ‘will not be a normal day.’ 

‘We’re hoping for the best but planning for the worst. The best is no fires,’ they said in a Facebook post. ‘The worst is a 1 in 100 year event.’ 

Fire chiefs warned that conditions could be so bad that it will be too dangerous for firefighters to try to put out the flames. 

Some 400 firefighters are flying in from interstate and 50 firetrucks are driving up from Victoria to be stationed in the Hunter region, north of Sydney. 

The fires are producing so much smoke that Brisbane’s air quality is three times worse than Beijing’s – as the smog blows as far east as New Zealand and Vanuatu.  

Over the weekend a man and two women in their sixties died in northern New South Wales as they attempted to flee too late – and more than 100 people, including 20 firefighters, have been injured.

Apocalyptic footage showed the sky over Port Macquarie turn a vibrant orange due to the flames and smoke on Sunday night.

Millions of dollars worth of damage has been caused as insurance companies send specialist disaster teams into fire-ravaged areas, with 150 claims lodged by 11am on Monday, according to the Insurance Council.

Climate change campaigners are blaming the disaster on global warming – but Scott Morrison on Sunday refused to comment on whether climate change is a factor.

‘My only thoughts today are with those who have lost their lives and their families,’ he said after he was heckled by a protester in Taree where he was visiting victims.

Ms Berejiklian mimicked his stance on Monday, saying: ‘I thought it was inappropriate that people were trying to talk about climate change yesterday when people wanted to stay alive.’

A map issued by the Rural Fire Service warns of a catastrophic danger – the highest level – to the Greater Sydney and Greater Hunter regions.

It’s the first time a catastrophic fire danger has been declared for Sydney since new fire ratings were introduced in 2009.

‘High temperatures, strong winds and low humidity are forecast, making conditions dangerous,’ NSW Rural Fire Service warned on social media. 

‘Catastrophic is the highest level of bush fire danger. Homes are not designed to withstand a fire under these conditions.

‘If a fire starts and takes hold during catastrophic fire danger conditions, lives and homes will be at risk.’  

Residents are warned to prepare to evacuate early and head to town centres and other safe places on Monday and not wait until the last moment on Tuesday.