Australian state declares disaster as almost 70 fires burn | World | News

Rural fire chief Ben Shepard echoed the NSW Premier’s comments, describing conditions as “problematic”.

he said ABCAustralia’s national broadcaster reported that the fire that broke out in the NSW coastal town of Woy Woy jumped over the ocean and moved across the bay, with embers traveling almost a kilometer and setting fire to new parts of the region.

“We’ve seen similar activity all over our fire areas in recent days, with some cases jumping not just one kilometer but several kilometers ahead of the main fire,” he said.

“This is where it becomes really problematic for firefighters to contain fires, use aircraft to slow the spread, and do what they can to protect communities and homes.”