The damage bill from the weekend’s catastrophic fire conditions and record-breaking temperatures has already reached $20m, as those whose homes were destroyed spoke of their irreplaceable losses.
At least 32 homes in New South Wales were destroyed and firefighters are struggling to get the upper hand ahead before temperatures spike again this Friday.
The Insurance Council of Australia has estimated at least $20m worth of property damage had been caused so far, but that figure is set to rise.
Fifty-one buildings were confirmed as destroyed by the Sir Ivan Fire near Dunedoo, which “all but wiped out” the small community of Uarbry on Monday. That number is expected to rise with only 50% of the 50,000-hectare fire area assessed.
Emergency services are rushing to take advantage of favourable midweek weather, but dangerous conditions are forecast to return on Friday.
“We are racing against time before Friday, where we are expecting to see temperatures hit the high 30s, coupled with warm north-westerly winds,” Ben Shepherd, a spokesman for the Rural Fire Service, told the Nine Network.
Update on property losses: As of 11am: Total of 32 homes & 76 outbuildings destroyed. (Increase of 2 homes from Pappinbarra Rd Fire) #NSWRFS
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) February 14, 2017
On Tuesday, RFS assessors confirmed seven homes destroyed at Pappinbarra near Port Macquarie, Dondingalong near Kempsey and Boggabri near Narrabri.
A gofundme started by Jo Jenkins said her father and his wife “lost everything” in the fires. “All they have are the clothes on their backs and their phones,” she wrote.
Uarbry resident Ray Boundy lost his three-bedroom home in the fire. “I saw that [house] gone, the church gone and I looked and thought this was history. At least you’re not a casualty of it,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I’m alive, I’ve got my ute, I’ve got some clothes. I’m insured, so I hope for the best.”
Pappinbarra resident Helen Riek saw her home destroyed and her five horses badly burnt. “We got down the road and saw our house going up in this huge, big explosion,” she told Channel Seven. “But I don’t care about the house, I’m worried about my horses.”
Steve and Ruth White, who have lived in Uarbry since 1993, told the Herald they had lost their family photographs. “It’s the ones of my kids and grandkids. All my favourite ones are gone,” she said.
On Tuesday, 63 fires continued to burn across NSW with 14 uncontained and the St Ivan Fire still at watch-and-act level. Power lines in many areas were down with the RFS instituting roadblocks in certain regions.
There a number of rd blocks due to power lines down and burning trees. We urge residents to not bypass rd blocks as it is not safe. #NSWRFS pic.twitter.com/tK20uLN6W3
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) February 14, 2017
On Tuesday, the federal government announced it would provide funds to communities that have been affected by the fires across the state. The natural disaster relief and recovery arrangements are available to individuals, small business owners, producers and local councils.
Earlier on Monday, the RFS commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, told a media conference the Dunedoo fire “created its own thunderstorm” with “flame heights invariably taller than most people’s homes”.
He also condemned the actions of three men who had been arrested on suspicion of deliberately lighting fires. A 13-year-old boy was arrested in Orange, a 32-year-old in Nabiac and a 40-year-old at Mango Creek. A fourth, a 12-year-old boy, was charged on Tuesday.
A spokesman for the Bureau of Metereology described the weekend’s weather conditions as “unprecedented in the history of NSW”. “We saw records on Saturday set at Dubbo, Bathurst, Scone, Williamtown, Casino, Moree, Inverell and Young,” he said.
