The U.S. Chemical Safety Board is sending a team of investigators to probe an early Friday morning explosion at a Houston machine shop that killed at least two people, a board spokeswoman said.
Six volunteer firefighters reportedly taken to hospital with ‘serious injuries’ in truck rollover, names of three US firefighters killed in C-130 crash released, and Sydney covered in thick smoke haze
Sorry to share more bad news with you, but my colleague Adam Morton has filed this incredibly depressing story, which begins: The superb lyrebird, famous for its ability to mimic almost any sound, may have plunged from being a common to a threatened species after its three varieties lost between a third and more than half of their known habitat in the .
Beautiful Kosciszcuko National Park burnt black. Numerous threatened native species struggling for survival - now sharing remaining habitat with 25,000 feral horses. Berejiklian Barilaro gov must urgently act to save species from extinction. This is an ecological emergency.
Representatives from the company Coulson and next of kin of the victims are travelling to Australia, Hood says. They are “not looking for blame or prosecution”, he says. He is being asked about the sequence of events when the plane went down, but says it is too early to say.
Hood says it is understood there were several witnesses to the accident. “We will also be making an assessment about the various components we need to take to technical facilities,” he says.
Hood says authorities are still working to retrieve the bodies from the wreckage. “At the moment, the NSW police force and the disaster victims identification team are working in the aircraft wreckage to remove those deceased in the accident, and then there will be a formal process for the site to be handed over to the ATSB,” he says.
Paul Condon, of NSW police, says police attended the scene yesterday to make the area safe. They are preparing a report for the coroner.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau and NSW police are addressing the media about yesterday’s tragic crash. Greg Hood, of the ATSB, says the air tanker departed the RAAF base at Richmond about midday.
Thank you to these brave Americans who died keeping Australians safe. Our love and condolences are with their families and with families of all those killed in these terrible fires. The courageous service of the firefighters is a shining inspiration of love and selflessness.
From the Associated Press. The Cincinnati Zoo is using the third birthday of its beloved hippo, born premature, as a way to raise money for Australian wildlife affected by the recent bushfires. Instead of sending birthday gifts for Fiona, the Ohio zoo is asking people to buy T-shirts that will directly benefit the Bushfire Emergency Wildlife Fund. The shirt features a koala and kangaroo giving Fiona a hug and says Supporting Our Friends Down Under.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Cincinnati's 1,200-pound toddler turns 3! Fiona the hippo celebrated her birthday on Thursday afternoon, munching on a specially made birthday cake at the .
Heatwave building in Western Australia and forecast models all suggest it will spread across the South East and eastern mainland and parts of Tasmania from mid next week. Parts of NSW will stay hot leading into it.
Here is a statement from the office of Gavin Newsom, the governor of California.
We are heartbroken to learn of the air tanker crash in Australia that claimed the lives of 3 heroic American firefighters. We extend our sincere condolences to the friends and families of the crew, and our own family who worked and trained with the crew of Tanker 134.
The federal government services minister, Stuart Robert, says the government has now paid out $68m under the Australian government disaster recovery payment and disaster recovery allowance. Robert said 57,000 claims had been processed since September and more than $10.9m in additional payments had been paid to eligible families affected by the bushfires.
AAP filed this interesting story from Tasmania. The newly appointed Tasmanian premier, Peter Gutwein, will become the state’s first Liberal minister for climate change. Gutwein, who this week ascended to the top job after Will Hodgman resigned, announced on Friday he would create and take on the portfolio.
Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park in Pandana has been running at an incredibly high tempo with support from veterinary staff, volunteers & personnel helping out providing veterinary care, assisting with feeding & establishing native habitat and shelters
Schools have been given resources to support students, teachers and families who may be “experiencing distress” as a result of fires burning in their local area. The Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience and Emerging Minds: National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health are to teachers ahead of the beginning of the new school year next week.
Thank you to the 41 firefighters from across the US who have arrived today to assist in managing Victoria’s ongoing and significant fire threat. Following briefing and training sessions, they will join local crews fighting fires in East Gippsland.
Agriculture Victoria’s count of the number of animals killed in the Victorian fires has reached 6,422, the . Most of the losses were in the north-east, mainly in the upper Murray, where 5,440 animals – including 3,292 beef cattle and 1,735 sheep – were killed.
This is Luke Henriques-Gomes, taking over from Calla Walhquist. Thanks for all your work, Calla.
Smoke from the Australian bushfires is making its way around the , interacting with global weather & distributing aerosols—UV-absorbing particles in the air—along the way. Aerosols by color: orange: dust blue: sea salt pink: nitrates red: carbonaceous
What seems like the entire population of the south coast town of Cobargo showed up to farewell Robert and Patrick Salway, the father and son who died protecting their property from fire on New Year’s Eve. The Cobargo cemetery was covered in a fresh layer of smoke after fires again loomed on the edge of this already devastated town yesterday, and the funeral was delayed to allow people stuck at road blocks time to arrive.
Coulson Aviation has released a statement about the three US aerial firefighters killed in the Snowy Mountains crash. Captain Ian McBeth, 45, from Great Falls in Montana, was a “highly qualified and respected C-130 pilot with many years fighting fire, both in the military and with Coulson Aviation”, the company said in a statement.
The three US firefighters who died in the crash of their C-130 waterbombing aircraft in the Snowy Mountains yesterday have been identified as Captain Ian McBeth, First Officer Paul Hudson and Flight Engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr.
These are the three brave crew members killed when their Coulson Aviation C130 crashed fighting fires in Australia: Captain Ian H. McBeth, First Officer Paul Clyde Hudson and Flight Engineer Rick A. DeMorgan Jr. May they rest in peace
International support for the Australian bushfires is not limited to firefighters. Soldiers from Fiji are in East Gippsland and preparing to help the Australian Defence Force support bushfire-affected communities around Orbost.
Very privileged to witness this traditional ceremony before our Fijian soldiers head out to the fireground around Orbost. Thank you for supporting Victoria and our communities. Take care
More firefighters from the United States landed in Melbourne this morning. They will be deployed to East Gippsland. Emergency Management Victoria deputy commissioner Chris Stephenson spoke to reporters at the airport. He said it was “extremely difficult” for those firefighters to learn as they got off the plane of the death of three of their colleagues. We have briefed the crews that have come in and Victoria passes on its condolences to the families who have had such a tragic loss. We have had a number of deaths in Victoria this year but New South Wales has had absolute tragedy. Our teams work with these crews. The aircrews work all around the world but they also work in Victoria, New South Wales, all across the country. We know these people and it is tough for our people. Their resilience is amazing. They get on, care about the community and they just want to do a fantastic job.
After some training these firefighters from the US will hit the fireground in Gippsland. Firefighting is an international business, as you’re aware, and it is a small community. It definitely impacts every one of us regardless of what country you were born in or where they fight fire or where they live. Every one of us feels the sadness from yesterday. I wanted to share our condolences and hopefully those families will find solace in the fact we are all here behind them and continuing the work.
Good to be out in the field and thank all our people who are working hard to keep the community safe. It’s been great to hear about where everyone has come from and how they are supporting the effort. Thank you for answering the call. Take care
The Victorian government is trying to encourage tourists to return to fire-affected areas in East Gippsland and the alpine region with a new campaign through Visit Victoria. The most practical thing that ordinary Victorians can do right now to help these regions is to travel there and spend money there. It will not only create amazing memories for families and kids, it will also provide vital support to our bushfire-affected communities as they recover and rebuild.
Unions NSW has again reminded workers in NSW that it is illegal to be forced to work when the air quality is at hazardous levels. Here’s the statement from Unions NSW secretary, Mark Morey: When the air quality is hazardous it is not safe to work outdoors for extended periods. You have a right to stop work if it is unsafe. It is illegal for your employer to force you to work in hazardous air. The air quality crisis has been ongoing since mid-November. This means workers, particularly those who work outside, have had ongoing exposure, which could have an impact on their health. New regulations informed by the advice of occupational health and safety authorities, lung health experts, business, and union representatives are needed urgently.
Photographer Mike Bowers was at the Potato Point fire on the NSW south coast yesterday. He spotted this fire truck from the Horsley Park volunteer RFS brigade, painted in memory of their
The fire that flared near Canberra airport yesterday and threatened homes near the Molongo River is currently burning at an advice level. The 379ha fire is behind containment lines, but smoke from the fire — particularly from a recycling centre on Underwood Street, Beard, which caught alight yesterday and began emitting dangerous smoke — remains a hazard.
All C-130 firefighting aircraft in Australia have been grounded until further notice, the National Council for Fire and Emergency Services (Afac) and national aerial fire fighting centre (Nfac) have said. The planes were grounded following the crash of the Lockheed C-130Q Hercules air tanker in the Snowy Mountains yesterday afternoon. The cause of that crash is not yet known. They can be anywhere in New South Wales within an hour and seamlessly integrate into local firefighting operations given the progression and advancement of aviation management in support of crews on the ground. It is a capability that we have become very accustomed to over recent years and it has provided valuable support to firefighters on the ground but also the people, the families, the communities that we are all trying to save and protect. Such a tragedy highlights the challenging conditions for all aerial firefighting pilots and our respect and gratitude rests with all pilots who are flying supporting ground operations across Australia
Australian and US firefighters working on the East Gippsland fires held a minute’s silence for the three aerial firefighters killed yesterday.
The deaths of three US firefighters is being felt deeply, hundreds of kilometres away in East Gippsland. Local emergency services and members of the US Forest Service gathered for a minute's silence in Orbost this morning.
Moving away from the bushfires briefly to the west coast of Tasmania, where police have said this morning that it is “highly unlikely” that a worker trapped in a collapse at Henty Gold Mine has survived. Tasmania police issued this statement this morning: Overnight the search utilised an additional drone with more sensitive three-dimensional laser technology as part of the operation to locate the missing mine worker. The amount of earth and rock and the situation that presents tells us that it is highly unlikely he could have survived.
The funeral of father and son Robert and Patrick Salway, who died trying to protect their farm in the south coast town of Cobargo, is being held today but because of damage from yesterday’s fires a lot of mourners can’t get through. I’m at a road block on the Princes Highway bear Tuross Head – about 70km north of Cobargo – where there’s a long queue of mourners who are desperately trying to find out when the road will reopen. Family members are being let through.
Extreme fire conditions are forecast for the Gascoyne Coast in Western Australia today. That’s a thin strip of land starting just north Kalbarri and running up to the Exmouth Gulf. The central coast, around Geraldton, has severe fire danger, and the fire danger of the surrounding area is very high.
Severe storms, particularly on the Central Coast and parts of Sydney, have cut power to around 8,000 customers this morning The Weather Bureau is warning of more dangerous storm activity Stay at least 8m away from fallen lines. In case of power emergency call Ausgrid: 131388
The air quality in Sydney and parts of New South Wales is hazardous today.
Good rain for Melbourne has also brought down the red mud evidence of northern
My car this morning! Dust, smoke and rain Everyday there is something. Thankfully, this is only minor. I know of a few people who need new cars after the in earlier this week
A photo my brother took as his plane prepared to land in Sydney today. Check out the smoke
Mother Nature is developing a serious smoker’s cough. This is my view of harbour today. If doesn’t give up his coal addiction & cut emissions - this cough will be terminal.
RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons addressed a US firefighting contingent in Sydney a few minutes ago. This particular group is about to head home. Fitzsimmons said they had his “heartfelt appreciation”. The group were originally destined for Queensland but redirected to NSW when the fire threat up north eased. Looking at the faces around the room, I know that in my various travels to different incident management teams in different locations with the minister, with [fire and rescue NSW commissioner Paul Baxter], and with the premier, I’ve seen a number of you in the IMTs, and you’ve been wonderfully integrated, seamlessly integrated into operations, and have made a discernible difference in the firefighting effort that we have been enduring this year.
NSW Police issued a statement this morning on the fatal air tanker crash in the Snowy Mountains. Police are working with investigators from the Air Transport Safety Bureau. The names of the three men killed, all experienced US aerial firefighters in their 40s, who worked for US aerial firefighting company Coulson Aviation, have not yet been released. About 1.15pm (Thursday 23 January 2020), emergency services were called to Peak View, about 50km north-east of Cooma, after contact was lost with an aircraft conducting fire-control operations in the area. A short time later the wreckage of a Large Air Tanker aircraft was located on private property on Peak View Road.
Some more details on that tanker rollover in the Southern Tablelands. The ABC reports that the water tanker rolled near the Clyde Mountain fire at Eurobodalla near Batemans Bay. The ABC said the six volunteer firefighters were taken to hospital with “serious injuries”.
The ABC is reporting that six firefighters were taken to hospital last night after their firetruck rolled while they were working on the Clyde Mountain bushfire in the NSW Southern Tablelands yesterday.
. said 6 firefighters have been taken to hospital after their tanker rolled whilst assisting with the bushfire yesterday. "It's tough conditions and our volunteers are going beyond the norm to try to protect community."
Crews from the US and Canada, who are wrapping up their deployment to the , have held a minutes silence as a mark of respect for the three American crew members killed in yesterday’s Large Air Tanker crash. We thank these crews for their support.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Sydney, parts of the Hunter, and parts of the Central Tablelands, which could experience “large, possibly giant hailstones, heavy rainfall and damaging winds”.
⚡⚡ A very Dangerous Thunderstorm is moving towards parts of the & . Severe Warning for GIANT HAILSTONES, HEAVY RAINFALL & DAMAGING WINDS. For latest warnings visit:
Let’s take a look at the national bushfire picture this morning. There are currently no fires burning at emergency warning or watch and act level in New South Wales. As of midnight, there were 73 bush and grass fires burning around the state, 30 of which were not yet contained.
Fire danger ratings have eased today, with widespread low-moderate and high fire danger following a southerly change that brought light rain and cooler conditions to fire grounds across the south coast. This change has also seen smoke haze return to Sydney and surrounds.
The New South Wales rural fire service is still assessing the full extent of the damage from the bushfires that flared along the south coast and the Snowy Mountains yesterday, destroying houses in Moruya and surrounding communities and leading to the deaths of three US firefighters. They were highly experienced professional, dedicated, specially-trained operators that were dedicated to the profession of aerial firefighting and, in particular, large air tanker aerial firefighting, which as we’ve seen here in New South Wales and in Australia in recent years, has provided us with a capability and capacity that we historically have not had access to, nor the benefit of when it comes to trying to save and protect lives and people here in New South Wales and Australia. Three remarkable men, coming down here to Australia once again this season, helping us to save and protect people but tragically this year, they won’t be going home to the United States.
Firefighters in Australia held a minute's silence on Friday for three U.S. colleagues killed in a plane crash as investigators began scouring the accident site in remote bushland.
Firefighters in Australia held a minute's silence on Friday for three U.S. colleagues killed in a plane crash as investigators began scouring the accident site in remote bushland.
French prosecutors investigating a party that former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn threw for his wife at the sumptuous Versailles palace will in the next few weeks ask judges to examine the case, bringing a prosecution a step closer.
Government and academic investigators have developed a vaccine against African swine fever that appears to be far more effective than previously developed vaccines.
