After just a few days of lower temperatures gave aerial and ground firefighters a much-needed break, efforts to contain the massive area burning across New South Wales on Australia’s eastern coastline have had to give way to active firefighting efforts again. Bushfires have flared up into what local media is naming a ‘Mega-Fire’ that threatens the greater Sydney area as multiple surrounding towns and cities face evacuation orders.
Tragically, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSWRFS) announced via a press release today that two volunteer ground firefighters were killed near Buxton, in southwestern Sydney. The vehicle they were traveling in was involved in a rollover accident that also injured three other firefighters.
Expressing devastation at the loss, the NSWRFS stated: “The Service’s thoughts are with all the firefighter’s family, friends and fellow brigade members.”
New South Wales continues to be the hardest hit of all Australian states that are currently battling hundreds of separate blazes throughout four states. Firefighting efforts also being hampered by lack of available water sources as record temperatures and drought conditions complicate firefighting efforts.
Eucla, a town in Western Australia recorded a temperature of 49.9C (122F) yesterday, making it one of the hottest days in recorded history in Australia.
Meanwhile, the Australian Federal Government remains under heavy fire from citizens unhappy with the federal response and assistance offered to states like New South Wales. The federal government coming under extreme criticism for what many have labeled as a ‘paltry’ increase in federal funding as a result of the fire emergency.
Earlier this week, the federal government announced that they will release a further $11 million AUD in funding to assist with aerial and ground firefighting efforts in an effort to help contain what is already being referenced as one of the worst fire seasons in history.
Typically, fire danger is at its worst from December through March and April in Australia. Many of the contracted aerial assets that arrive from the United States arriving annually in October or early November. Most do not see active firefighting on a major scale until late December at the earliest.
This year, however, aerial and ground assets, including New South Wales newly purchased 737 Coulson Fireliner have been working almost constantly since mid-October. This includes the Coulson Fireliner being loaned to the state of Western Australia last week to assist in controlling fires that broke out in multiple locations that were stretching available state assets to the limit.
