Turn for worse as burn spreads

THE number of properties damaged or destroyed in fires across New South Wales is set to rise after firefighters’ prevention efforts inadvertently started another blaze.

Up to 20 buildings, including homes, are feared lost after backburning at one part of the huge Gospers Mountain blaze northwest of Sydney spread out of control at the weekend.

The fire, which was yesterday creeping towards 400,000ha in size, was upgraded to emergency level on Sunday when a controlled blaze started by firefighters breached containment lines.

The affected properties are thought to be in the Mount Wilson and Bilpin areas and might include some belonging to local Rural Fire Service members.

RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said firefighters had been trying to do their best to help the community and had been “executing some very sensible, some very risky, some very challenging, decisions”.

“Unfortunately things don’t always go to plan and we’ve seen how quickly things can change and how destructive the consequences can be,” he told ABC News.

The Gospers Mountain fire, which covers from the Lithgow area in the west through the Hawkesbury area and towards the Central Coast in the east, and a much smaller fire further west at Palmers Oaky were at watch-and-act level yesterday.

Almost 2000 firefighters are battling 108 blazes across the state.

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast severe heatwave conditions for most of NSW throughout the week.

Ahead of the soaring temperatures, Western Sydney Local Health District yesterday warned residents to keep well hydrated and cool to avoid heat-related illnesses, and to check in on elderly friends, neighbours and relatives.

UNFORTUNATELY THINGS DON’T ALWAYS GO TO PLAN AND WE’VE SEEN HOW QUICKLY THINGS CAN CHANGE AND HOW DESTRUCTIVE THE CONSEQUENCES CAN BE RFS COMMISSIONER SHANE FITZSIMMONS

“Extreme heat conditions can have serious impacts on peoples’ health,” WSLHD Centre for Population Health deputy director Christine Newman said in a statement.

Forested areas on and east of the Great Dividing Range will continue to see above-normal fire potential this summer due to forecast warmer and drier conditions across the state, the bushfire and natural hazards cooperative research centre said.

Areas to the west of the divide have reduced fire potential because the drought has left minimal grass, the centre said.