Tributes to gentle guy
Fire death toll rises to four
CONDITIONS START TO WARM UP TOMORROW, INTO THE WEEKEND AND THEN HEATING UP EARLY NEXT WEEK. WE’RE IN FOR THE LONG HAUL.
ROB ROGERS
TRIBUTES have been paid to the fourth victim of the NSW bushfires, Barry Parsons, who has been remembered as a “gentle guy”.
Mr Parsons’ body was discovered in bushland on the southern end of the Kyuna Track at Willawarrin, near Kempsey, on Wednesday night.
The 58-year-old was named as the fourth person to die in the bushfires, as emergency services continued to battle almost 60 blazes tearing through the state yesterday.
Australian Hemp Party president Michael Balderstone said Mr Parsons would occasionally drop in at the Nimbin hemp embassy.
“He was a lovely peaceful guy. He was just a lovely gentle guy,” he said.
Mr Parsons’ death follows that of Julie Fletcher, 63, who died in Johns River, and Wytaliba locals Vivian Chaplain, 69, and George Nole.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian during Question Time in Parliament extended her condolences to the family and friends of Mr Parsons and the three other victims.
“I want to on behalf of all colleagues in this place extend our deepest condolences to all their loved ones and appreciate what a difficult time it is for them, as it is for the communities because when you come from a small community … it sends quite huge shockwaves throughout townships,” she said.
Large parts of the state will come under total fire bans again today with forecasts of renewed and widespread severe conditions.
Almost 60 fires continue to burn around NSW, with about 30 uncontained. Meanwhile, an emergency warning was issued for an out-of-control bushfire burning southeast of Casino yesterday afternoon for the 4600ha Bora Ridge fire.
It is currently the only fire in the state burning at an emergency alert level, while six blazes are at “watch and act”.
Emergency services minister David Elliott says 329 homes have been destroyed in the fires to date, with another 131 damaged.
More than 1500 firefighters were deployed across the state yesterday afternoon, with more than 70 aircraft and 500 vehicles in place to support them.
Rural Fire Service NSW Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers said the passing of Tuesday’s “catastrophic” fire warning day had not made battling blazes easier. “We had a better day yesterday, only one fire got to emergency warning, but even in these pretty benign conditions we’re seeing quite a lot of aggressive fire behaviour simply because it’s so dry,” Mr Rogers told the Seven Network.
“Conditions start to warm up tomorrow, into the weekend and then heating up early next week, a return to more gusty conditions. We’re in for the long haul.”
Meanwhile, a suspected arsonist has reportedly been arrested after an army Black Hawk helicopter chased him through Sydney’s Royal National Park.
The crew alerted police and kept the man in sight, finding his hiding place.
And police responding to a trapped paraglider near Wollongong arrested a man allegedly starting fire in nearby bushland.