Sydney bushfire emergency flares up again, hundreds of firefighters tackle out-of-control blaze
Updated
An emergency warning has been reissued for a massive bushfire in Sydney's south-west, which is rapidly moving in a north-easterly direction towards Sandy Point, Pleasure Point and Voyager Point.
Key points:
- Police are investigating to try and find out what started the fire
- Bushfire was downgraded overnight, but has now reached emergency level again
- Warning is in place for Sandy Point, Alfords Point, Holsworthy, Wattle Grove and Menai
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) said residents in those areas should take shelter immediately because it is "too late to leave".
An emergency warning is also in place for Alfords Point and Bardon Ridge
The blaze, which has been burning since Saturday, was downgraded from emergency to watch-and-act status overnight, but it has flared up again.
The fire has already destroyed about 1,000 hectares of bushland around Holsworthy and Menai, with 500 firefighters trying to control it.
It is yet to destroy any homes.
One Menai resident, Erin Stevens, left her home yesterday evening.
"It was confronting watching those red flames come down the valley, but we've been through this a few times before over the years so everyone's very well prepared," she said.
"They know what's going to happen and we have full faith in the fire crews."
NSW Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire and are appealing for witnesses.
'Unseasonably hot' weather turning bushland into tinderbox
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull addressed media at the Heathcote Fire Control Centre on Sunday afternoon, commending firefighters and volunteers for their "extraordinary courage and professionalism".
He said it had been "unseasonably hot".
"That is a matter of obviously of great concern but we have to deal with the worst that Mother Nature can throw at us and the worst Australians are presented with," he said.
NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the unseasonal heat was sucking "the moisture out of the vegetation", making it highly susceptible to ignition.
"It will be a tough week for firefighters because unfortunately what we really need is a meaningful rain right across this fire ground and right across other parts of NSW," he said.
Locals donating food to keep firies going
More than 200 people visited an emergency centre at Moorebank Sports Club overnight, with local hotels offering accommodation to residents unable to return to their homes.
Liverpool Council chief executive Kirsten Fishburn said locals had come together to help.
"I've seen people offer up their houses, their beds, to babysit kids, to look after injured reptiles. Anything the community needs, people have offered up their hands to deliver it," she said.
Local businesses have also donated food and water to firefighters.
Coles and Woolworths each filled several trolleys with supplies, while Gary's Seafood in Menai has been giving away free fish and chips to all firefighters today.
Firefighters paused to eat at a sausage sizzle to keep them fuelled.
Kirrawee Vet has offered 48 hours of free boarding for animals belonging to people trying to defend their property.
In Alfords Point, residents are reporting that winds have picked up and some have experienced power outages.
Winds of up to 40 kilometres per hour are making it difficult to contain the blaze.
"We've got a lot of work ahead of us and some strong winds dominating the system today which are going to prove very problematic for the firefighters and all those people in and around this fire ground area," Commissioner Fitzsimmons said.
People in Illawong, Bangor and Picnic Point were warned of spot fires.
Yesterday, the NSW RFS rescued a koala in the Liverpool Military Area in Holsworthy.
The blaze started on Saturday afternoon at Moorebank and burnt in a south-easterly direction through the Holsworthy army base and around Heathcote Road.
However, as the night wore on it changed direction, meaning new areas were threatened.
Heathcote Road had been a de facto last line of defence for some residential areas, but the RFS announced at about 8:00pm that the fire had jumped it.
The fire burnt through bushland too dense for crews to access, and a line of fire trucks 4 kilometres long had been positioned on Heathcote Road in an effort to stop it.
Sydney's T8 Airport train line remains closed between East Hills and Glenfield because of the blaze.
Non-essential personnel were evacuated from the Holsworthy army base, where the munitions store was successfully defended.
Topics: disasters-and-accidents, fires, bushfire, holsworthy-2173
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