So far, so good on worst bushfire day
Firefighters say they’re facing the best possible scenario as they head into the most dangerous hours of the NSW bushfire emergency.
The fire risk in the Blue Mountains is so severe on Wednesday that residents have been told to leave the area west of Sydney, unless they’ve planned well to defend themselves from fire.
Three of the state’s four most serious blazes are still burning there, after destroying more than 200 homes last week.
Firefighters were on Wednesday planning for the worst, and hoping for the best.
Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the five millilitres of rain overnight had cooled the area, but the worst of the weather was yet to come.
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At 11am (AEDT), things were going well.
However regular winds of up to 80km/h would complicate firefighting, and had forced water bombing helicopters to suspend work over fires at Lithgow, Springwood and Mt Victoria.
“While the fires are starting to stir up a little, in terms of smoke and activity, what we haven’t seen is any break-out, or any run of these fires,” he told reporters.
“At this time of the day that’s probably the best case scenario that we could have asked for.”
MORE TO COME
