(Daily Mail) – Two monstrous bushfires causing a weekend of terror in Canberra are now so ferocious that they formed their own weather system, with fire crews forced to flee. The ACT is enduring one of the worst days of this bushfire season, which threatens to match the fatal blaze of 2003 which destroyed 500 homes and killed four people.
The huge 33,000-hectare Orroral Valley fire is out-of-control and is simply too dangerous to fight on the ground. So intense is the blaze that it has formed its own weather system, with a terrifying firestorm bearing down on the state. Exhausted firefighters will have no relief for many hours, with temperatures remaining at 41C until at least 8 pm.
Residents have been told to flee as the state endures the two out-of-control bushfires, which have torn across the NSW border and will merge within the hour. There are also four huge blazes burning out of control in NSW, with the RFS warning they are spreading quickly. ‘If you are near Mt Durragh, Tantawangalo, Wyndham, Burrogate, New Buildings or Rocky Hall, you are at risk. If threatened by fire, seek shelter,’ a warning read. The 172,251-hectare Border Fire, the Big Jack Mountain fire, the Postmans Trail fire, and the Creewah Road fire are all burning at emergency level and out of control. FULL REPORT
