New Zealand is a far small country than the USA and such events are felt more deeply by the people.
By Jamie Morton and Belinda Feek
They described it as explosive, (click here) extreme and rampant; and tonight the wildfire that cost residents of an idyllic Whitianga peninsula their homes is burning on.
The blaze broke out in a rural area south of the Coromandel township early yesterday evening, and soon engulfed whole hillsides, tearing through four homes at deadly speed.
"There's no way any man was ever going to run as fast as that fire was moving," said principal rural fire officer Paul Shaw, who commanded several ground crews that tried to battle the fire across steep terrain.
"The wind wasn't our friend: it stayed up, blew through and made conditions quite extreme."...
This has been a very hot and rough summer for Australia.
18 January 2017
By Australian Associated Press
Reports of property lost amid deteriorating conditions near Tarago and in the Hunter region (click here)
This has been a very hot and rough summer for Australia.
18 January 2017
By Australian Associated Press
Reports of property lost amid deteriorating conditions near Tarago and in the Hunter region (click here)
...The RFS (click here) has received unconfirmed reports from the public and firefighters of properties being destroyed by the 650 hectare fire, which was formed when two serious blazes merged on Wednesday.
More than 250 firefighters continue to battle the northwest-moving fire, which is burning near Hart Road, McLeod Road, and the Hunter Expressway.
The crews, including extra hands from Sydney and the Central Coast, have been assisted by waterbombing aircraft.
The Hunter Expressway remained closed between Buchanan and Branxton on Wednesday afternoon.
The ABC was reporting the nearby Weston Aluminium recycling plant had been shut down to limit the threat of an explosion.
Residents were evacuating and moving stock on Wednesday as firefighters battled worsening conditions and an out-of-control blaze near Canberra.
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service had earlier said those in the Mount Fairy and Boro areas, near Tarago north-west of Canberra, should implement their bushfire survival plan....
