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CANBERRA - Bushfire season has begun with a fury in Australia, fulfilling grim predictions with massive walls of flame racing through hundreds of hectares of forests and bushland in New South Wales in the past two days, destroying one home, damaging another, and forcing the evacuation of dozens of others.
Today, weather forecasters predict even worse conditions for the state: searing northwest winds driving temperatures well into the 30s where early winter rain spurred growth and hampered fire-reduction burnoffs. Much of the growth is now tinder dry.
The Bureau of Meteorology and state science agency CSIRO said yesterday that life was only going to get harder as global warming further heated and dehydrated the continent.
Based on 1990 averages, temperatures will increase by 1 degree by 2030, significantly increasing the number of days exceeding 35C in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Darwin.
In the worst-case scenario, the continent could warm by as much as 5C by 2070, multiplying the days of extreme temperatures and extending drought times by 40 per cent in eastern Australia and 80 per cent in the southwest.
Several fires in the past two days have been deliberately lit. Firefighters and police said more arsons were likely. Yesterday afternoon NSW Premier Morris Iemma announced that police would set up a special arson task force to investigate suspicious bushfires. Convicted arsonists could be jailed for up to 10 years.
Last week, lightning sparked eight separate fires across remote areas of the NSW northern tablelands, prompting authorities to declare a bushfire emergency for the Tenterfield area.
Down the eastern seaboard, other states watch with growing concern as long-range weather forecasts warn of higher-than-average temperatures and very little rain in the months ahead.
Last week Queensland firefighters called in helicopters to help battle a blaze in bushland reserve near Park Ridge, south of Brisbane, and officials in parched South Australia declared an early start to their bushfire season.
In NSW firefighters were yesterday struggling to contain major outbreaks around Port Stephens on the north coast, at Kuring-gai Chase National Park north of Sydney, and the Royal National Park in the city's south.
Across the state they have attended more than 20 smaller bushfires.
On the Tilligerry Peninsula area near Port Stephens fire has destroyed more than 250ha and the home of 60-year-old plumber Marvyn Hartigan and his family. Another house was damaged and several sheds were lost.
Seven fires threatened other homes in nearby Oyster Cove and Tanilba Bay.
