Updated
The number of homes razed by bushfires this season
has climbed to almost 1,000, the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) says in
its latest impact assessment.
After re-entering the charred
remains of towns ravaged by fire in the past week, the RFS confirmed 873
homes had been destroyed since July 1.That figure is in addition to 100 homes believed destroyed since last Thursday, which the RFS has not yet included in its official count.
Some of the latest figures included homes in Balmoral, a town south-west of Sydney, where NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said there was little left after Saturday's catastrophic fires.
The RFS said an additional 2,048 outbuildings and 68 facilities were levelled by the blaze.
Meanwhile, residents and travellers have been left stranded by extensive road closures caused by the bushfires.
Live Traffic NSW said hundreds of kilometres of roads, including major highways and busy arteries, around the state were closed in both directions.
The closures include a 70-kilometre stretch of Bells Line of Road, between Kurrajong and Lithgow, in the state's west, with diversions in place at the Great Western Highway.
Also in the south-west, a 20-kilometre stretch between Tahmoor and Hill Top — the areas surrounding Balmoral — remained shut on Christmas Eve.
However, there has been some reprieve, with the Princes Highway south of Nowra reopening after being closed in both directions overnight.
In the state's north, the Gwydir Highway has also reopened.
No comments:
Post a Comment