Fire watch in Sydney

Sydney on fire watch as Tasmania cleans up

As the search for bodies continues in Tasmania, firefighters in Sydney are preparing for the most dangerous bushfire conditions in years in the city and around the state.

Stuff,

7 January, 2013

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology is predicting the maximum temperature in inner Sydney and the western suburbs will be 43 degrees Celsius tomorrow.

Sydney escaped extreme temperatures for much of the past week because of easterly winds bringing cool air from the ocean, the bureau's duty forecaster, Sarah Hicks, said.

''Those winds will move to the west, so that usually brings hotter inland temperatures through to the coast,'' she said.

Some of the hottest areas in the state at the weekend were in the far west and the southern half of the state, including Hay, which set a record at 48 on Saturday, Ivanhoe, which hit 45, and Wilcannia, which hit 47.6 on Sunday.

A NSW Rural Fire Service spokesman, Ben Shepherd, said the hot and windy weather meant fire ratings could be extreme on Tuesday.

Shepherd said those were the highest fire danger ratings the regions had had in years, while almost half the state could have severe fire danger ratings and total fire bans.

''The last few years of wet weather have led to unprecedented growth in some areas in the western parts of the state. That grass has now dried out,'' Shepherd said.

''It's now become very susceptible to fire. It's in areas now that haven't seen fire activity for decades.

''Some people don't believe they're as dangerous as bushfires but grass fires typically move around about three times as fast as a bushfire. They can cut roads and impact on properties with little or no warning.''

Shepherd said more than 90 bushfires were burning across the state.

About 550 firefighters were out battling the fires head of ''catastrophic conditions'' due to bear down on parts of NSW tomorrow.

The RFS would be issuing warnings later today to areas at high risk of bushfires, said.

There is likely to be little relief from the heat around NSW for at least a week.

Despite relatively cooler temperatures spreading from coastal areas to the south of the state after Tuesday's highs, the weekend was expected to bring more sweltering conditions, Hicks said.

FIGHTING ON IN TASMANIA

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is touring Tasmania today where police were continuing their property-by-property search for bodies as fire authorities warn the bushfires that have ravaged the state's southeast could flare up again.

Above average temperatures are expected with Hobart forecast to reach 29C and Launceston 30C today.

More than 100 buildings were destroyed by the fires and while there have been no confirmed deaths, police had fears for a number of people.

Many of nearly 100 people missing have been accounted for but acting Police Commissioner Scott Tilyard said the community still needed to brace for possible deaths.

A bushfire ravaging the southeast has been beaten back from the holiday town of Taranna, but still burned along much of its Tasman Peninsula front.

Water-bombing helicopters and bulldozers kept the fire away from the waterside community of about 100 after the fire jumped over a bay and took hold in thick bush on Sunday night, Taranna resident Peter Wilson said

"The breeze dropped, and we haven't lost any houses," Wilson said.

The Tasmanian Fire Service said the fire remained out of control, but its progress had slowed considerably in the calmer weather and they expected to work on control lines today.

Hobart was blanketed in bushfire smoke, much of it from a 60,000ha fire that was burning through Tasmania's southwest wilderness.

Chief fire officer Mike Brown said lessons had been learnt from Victoria's 2009 Black Saturday fires, which killed 173.

Apart from pre-season preparation, he said there was much more awareness of the dangers of bushfires.

''The other thing these days is the notification about going to community fire refuges, leaving and leaving early ... and we've had a very good take-up on alerts that have gone out,'' he said.

''People have responded very well. That, as much as really good firefighting effort, has eliminated or at least minimised the chance of injury to the community, and to firefighters.''

Federal and state governments haev announced aid packages for people affected by the fires.

Emergency Management Minister Nicola Roxon said the government had made disaster relief funding of up to A$1000 per person available to Tasmanians affected by bushfires.

The Red Cross has also launched an appeal to help survivors. More than 1000 people were evacuated from the Tasman Peninsula to Hobart via boat.

Hundreds more have sought refuge with relatives and in evacuation centres across the region, including at the Port Arthur historic site.

In Victoria, fire crews were working to control a large bushfire near Portland. The fire, which began in a pine plantation, has burnt more than 2700 hectares.

The state is also on fire watch as the temperatures rise.