Firefighters ‘in for long haul’
A fourth person has been confirmed dead in NSW bushfires as better weather conditions around the state fail to make a dent on ‘‘aggressive fire behaviour’’.
More than 55 fires continue to burn around NSW yesterday morning, with 24 uncontained and eight currently at ‘watch and act’ level.
A total fire ban declared for NSW earlier this week has now lapsed.
Police, meanwhile, have confirmed that a fourth person has died in the blazes, after a man’s body was found northwest of Kempsey on the NSW mid-north coast.
The man’s remains were discovered in bushland on the southern end of the Kyuna Track at Willawarrin shortly before midnight on Wednesday.
He is yet to be identified but is believed to be a 58-year-old who lived nearby in a shed, but who had not been seen since Friday.
His death follows that of Julie Fletcher, 63, who died in the town of Johns River, and Wytaliba locals Vivian Chaplain, 69, and the elderly George Nole.
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,’’ Rogers told the Seven Network. ‘‘Conditions starting 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.’’
The RFS has confirmed more than 300 homes have been destroyed or damaged since Friday, at least 50 of them on Tuesday.
Rogers said fires in the midnorth coast areas such as Taree, Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Coffs Harbour were proving hard to control, as well as a blaze near Lithgow in the Blue Mountains.
More than 800 firefighters remain in the field to protect properties and establish containment lines ahead of worsening conditions later this week.
About 55 schools will remain closed in fire-affected areas.
The Insurance Council of Australia said insurers had received 450 claim applications, with initial losses totalling A$50 million (NZ$53m).
Meanwhile, a suspected arsonist has reportedly been arrested after an army Black Hawk helicopter chased him through Sydney’s Royal National Park.
The 6th Aviation Regiment unit was returning to Holsworthy base on Wednesday after helping in the bushfire effort in the Blue Mountains when they saw a man acting suspiciously, The Daily Telegraph reported.
The crew alerted police and kept the man in sight, finding his hiding place. – AAP