It's barely spring in Australia but the firestorms have already started

Hello Sweety I posted this earlier, dont' know if this has anything to do with it. [link to www.godlikeproductions.com]

If this is what "early-Spring 2006" is able to bring what can we expect during the impending hot summer months. I believe the outlook is very gloomy indeed for us, Australians.


Strong winds, fires wreak havoc in south-east

Wild winds and high temperatures have hit south eastern Australia, with at least one person dead and six homes destroyed by bushfires near Sydney.

There are two main fire centres still causing concern - the Baulkham Hills Shire, north-west of Sydney and Wollondilly, south-west of the city.

In the Baulkham Hills area, one house has been destroyed at South Maroota, and two destroyed at Oakville.

In the Wollondilly Shire, three houses have been destroyed near Picton.

The Rural Fire Service Commissioner Phil Koperberg says crews will work to contain the fires throughout the night.

"And we suspect that we'll have 500 or 600 firefighters in the field for the next 24 hours, not only containing these but then having to mop them up," he said.

Commissioner Koperberg says hundreds of home were threatened by fires along the coast.

"As far south as Burrill, right up to Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and then further afield," he said.

Weather conditions have eased for crews fighting fires near Ulladulla, south of Sydney, and in the Hunter region.

And the southwesterly change now making its way across Sydney is expected to ease conditions for firefighters later tonight.
Evacuations

Residents on the south coast of New South Wales were evacuated today when it was thought their homes were under threat.

As temperatures soared, hot, dry winds picked up speed and throughout the afternoon the fires raged.

In Lakesland, south-west of Sydney, properties burned to the ground with little warning.

"It just came up so fast, we thought we had it out around the shed and it just kept coming," said resident Eileen Risby.

Local fire crews raced to the scene, but it was too late.

Neighbours scrambled to save what they could and prepare their own homes as the fire front approached.

In all, four houses were lost in the area, which borders the Nattai National Park.

Crews from across the district fought the fires, while water-bombing helicopters continued the assault from above.

In the Blue Mountains, blustery winds created difficulty for crews battling a grass fire.

At one point through the afternoon there were fears that properties in the area were in peril.

Elsewhere, winds alone wreaked havoc; in the Kangaroo Valley on the south coast a motorcyclist was killed by a falling tree branch.

And in Richmond, a parked car was crushed when winds brought down a tree.

"I couldn't believe how such a big tree, the wind could just grab it and smash it to the ground," said a witness.

A cold front moved across the coast late today and eased the fire crisis.

But problems still linger - 120,000 homes will be without power throughout the night.
Blackouts

Around 120,000 Sydney residents are without power tonight after strong winds brought down trees and power lines.

The affected areas include Penrith, Windsor and the lower Blue Mountains to the west of Sydney, and Camden, Cambelltown and the Southern Highlands to the south-west.

Emergency crews have restored power to around 30,000 residents and will continue to work throughout the night and tomorrow.

Some residents are being advised to make alternative arrangements for the evening if power is not restored by 10:00pm AEST.
Winds hit ACT, Vic

The ACT State Emergency Service (SES) says they attended more than 100 calls across the capital, to incidents ranging from tree branches blocking roadways, to homes being damaged by over-hanging trees.

There have been no injuries reported.

ACTEW AGL says 500 homes are still without electricity although most are expected to have power returned by midnight.

The Bureau of Meteorology says winds gusting up to 100 kilometres per hour are expected through the night.

And the SES in Victoria has received almost 300 calls for help dealing with damage caused by strong winds.

About 60 of the calls have been from the state's north-east, reporting trees fallen across roads, and on property at towns such as Bright and Wangaratta.

But the majority of calls have come from the metropolitan Melbourne area, in suburbs including Eltham, Knox, Lilydale, Nunawading and Broadmeadows.
Qld fire

And in Queensland, firefighters are battling a large bush and grass fire south-west of Brisbane.

The fire started in the early hours of this morning and late today it had spread through rough terrain around Kooralbyn.

Nine fire crews fought the blaze but were unable to make much headway.

This afternoon, two of Queensland's waterbombing helicopters were called in to drop water on the most inaccessible areas of the blaze.

Firefighters say the area is not heavily settled but they have burnt a firebreak around one house, and are keeping a close watch on the situation.

[link to www.abc.net.au]

We were without power for several hours.I noticed,once the 100km wind died down abit,people where all saying how different it was with no power.Kids helping out,neighbours asking others if they wanted to have a BBQ for dinner, kindness,like a load had been lifted. Then the power came back, the children went inside and everyone was back in their home .