Persistent heatwave conditions fuel bushfire threat
Dangerous fire conditions will continue in parts of eastern Australia due to predictions that dry lightning could spark new fires.
Severe heatwave conditions continue in NSW, extending across the eastern parts of the state and from the Hunter to the southern coast.
More than a dozen houses, sheds, outbuildings and cars were damaged and two firefighters injured when a fire broke out of control at Dolphin Sands on Tasmania’s east coast on Friday.
Teams in Tasmania continue to investigate the cause of the fire while deploying air and ground tankers to control the fire, which has burned more than 700 hectares.
While the fire remains at surveillance and precaution level, the Tasmanian Fire Service has urged people not to return.
“Emergency services and contractors are currently surveying the fire area to make it safe and assess the damage that has occurred,” Commissioner Jeremy Smith said. he said.
Some residents will be without power for a week after TasNetworks confirmed dozens of power poles in the Dolphin Sands area suffered serious fire damage.
However, the cold temperatures and showers seen across the state on Saturday will likely bring relief to fire crews.
The Bureau of Meteorology said NSW residents would be sweltered by well-above-average temperatures on Saturday, with temperatures topping 37 degrees in Sydney and dipping below 40 degrees in the western suburbs.
An emergency warning for residents near Beni Road outside Dubbo was downgraded on Friday evening, as was the case with the bushfire at Bulahdelah on the mid-north coast, after easing conditions helped firefighters gain the upper hand on the fires.
A total fire ban was imposed on Saturday in large parts of NSW, including the interior, eastern and northern parts of Sydney and the Illawarra.
Meteorologist Jonathan How said storm forecasts for much of south-eastern Australia brought the risk of dry lightning sparking new fires.
Temperatures are expected to decrease on Sunday.
Victorians faced milder temperatures on Friday as cold weather and thunderstorms followed hot, dry and windy weather.
Firefighters were working to contain the bushfire, which affected at least three properties at Markwood, 280km northeast of Melbourne.
