Fires spread as extreme weather batters nation

SEVERE WEATHER fuelling bushfires across New South Wales has eased in some areas but at least 90 fires were still burning last night and one was advancing on about 15 properties.

The blaze at Kybeyan Valley, 20km east of Cooma, has scorched more than 9800 hectares of bush and grassland and continues to burn out of control.

The Rural Fire Service ( RFS) issued an emergency warning about 7pm yesterday for the affected properties in the Countegany and Kybeyan areas of the blaze.

An RFS spokesman said anyone still there should shelter in place because it was too late to leave.

Nearly 100 firefighters worked to contain the further outbreak with the assistance of aircraft waterbombing. A southerly change was expected over the area, prompting concerns that smoke would descend on the town of Cooma, 100km south of Canberra.

A fire 12km west of Sussex Inlet, on the state’s south coast, continues to burn out of control. Nearly 200 firefighters are working to strengthen containment lines as smoke affects the Princes Highway.

Another blaze 11km west of Yass, north of Canberra, continues to burn with a perimeter of around 100km. Firefighters have contained the 15,000ha blaze but threats to isolated rural properties remain.

RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said weather forecasts were optimistic for the early part of the week but the absence of rainfall meant the landscape will remain susceptible to fire.

Nature’s full spectrum is on display across Australia as the east coast bakes under near record temperatures while the west braces for the arrival of a cyclone.

Temperatures have pushed towards 50 degrees Celsius across Queensland and NSW, with mercury also being tipped to 48 degrees in South Australia.

The heatwave continued as tropical cyclone Narelle bore down on Western Australia. The categoryfour storm was not expected to hit the mainland but thunderstorms could still cause serious damage. the top