The Australian military said yesterday it was investigating whether a major bushfire was linked to an explosives training exercise, as firefighters battled blazes that have destroyed or damaged 300 homes.
The Rural Fire Service said about 80 fires were burning across New South Wales state, with about 20 of them uncontained despite yesterday’s cooler weather conditions.
Among the major fires was one burning between the towns of Lithgow and Bilpin, about 80km northwest of Sydney, which intensified after burning through 30,000 hectares and reportedly destroying some properties.
Photo: EPA
“This fire is by no means contained,” New South Wales Rural Fire Service Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers said.
“It’s got absolutely kilometers and kilometers of fire front,” he added.
The Australian Defense Force said it was investigating the circumstances of the fire near Lithgow, which began on defense land.
Photo: AFP
“The fire started on 16 October, the same day that Defense personnel were conducting an explosive ordnance training activity,” it said in a statement. “Defense is investigating if the two events are linked.”
“Our thoughts are with those who have lost property or whose property is threatened by these devastating fires,” it added.
Firefighters are battling bushfires across New South Wales, which could take weeks to fully overcome, particularly with more hot and gusty weather forecast for as soon as today.
Photo: EPA
One man has already died while trying to protect his home on the Central Coast north of Sydney, possibly succumbing to a heart attack, but authorities are hopeful no other people are unaccounted for in the blazes.
The fires took hold in warm and windy conditions on Thursday and the worst affected areas have been in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, where about 193 properties were destroyed and 109 damaged in the towns of Springwood and Winmalee.
Crews were called to protect homes in the Lithgow region later yesterday, and also stepped up efforts in Springwood as that blaze continued to threaten more homes with a small local hospital evacuated as a precaution.
Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said some of the fires were so big they would take more time to completely extinguish.
“Firefighters will be working on these fires for weeks,” he said. “It’s all about reducing the risk of these fires to breach containment lines and run under hotter, drier, windier conditions over coming days.”
In the meantime, residents were returning to the remains of their homes, searching through the rubble for valuables and keepsakes.
In Lithgow, the scenic tourist attraction the Zig Zag Railway has been hard hit, with trains, carriages and equipment destroyed.
The railway, which runs on the original track built in the 1860s, was soon to be reopened to the public after being closed last year for upgrades.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was