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FIREFIGHTERS HAVE BEEN racing to tame an enormous blaze in southeastern Australia today, with officials warning it could merge with others to create a “mega-fire” as weather conditions worsen.
Crews have been battling fires that flared in high winds and searing heat across the state of New South Wales last week with more than 200 homes so far destroyed and many others damaged.
While dozens of fires have been contained, 56 were still alight and 12 of them out of control, enveloping Sydney in a thick white smoke haze.
The main concern today has been near the town of Lithgow west of Sydney where a huge fire that has already burned nearly 40,000 hectares has been threatening the communities of Bilpin, Bell, Clarence and Dargan.
Officials fear intensifying heat and winds expected tomorrow and on Wednesday could push it into another blaze at nearby Mount Victoria in the Blue Mountains and then move towards the populated areas of Katoomba and Leura.
“I don’t think I’ve ever used the word mega-fire,” said Fitzsimmons.
“But the reality is that the modelling indicates that there’s every likelihood that in the forecast weather conditions that these two fires, particularly up in the back end of the mountains, will merge at some point.”
Firefighters spent the night building containment lines to try and prevent this happening ahead of a predicted deterioration of weather conditions.
But the fire chief played down earlier suggestions that all communities in the Blue Mountains, where 76,000 people live, could be evacuated.
“We are not planning a mass evacuation of the Blue Mountains community,” he said.
Instead authorities were taking “a very deliberate, a very considered, a very targeted approach to securing and protecting all the communities.”
An emergency warning has been issued for the Blue Mountains village of Bell, where residents were urged to evacuate due to the immediate threat of fire.
Other township residents were told to shelter in their homes or warned that they faced several days of isolation without electricity.
Amid the worst fire disaster in the state for nearly 50 years, New South Wales declared a state of emergency yesterday, which gives firefighters the power to forcibly evacuate people from their homes, with penalties for refusing.
Emergency Services Minister Mike Gallacher said every possible resource was being used, including firefighters being drafted in from interstate and the possibility that the military could also be deployed.
“Everything is being thrown at this, I can assure you,” he said.
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Anyone else think that the fact those girls aged 12-17 were online trying to make friends with men is equally disturbing!
I do. I also think it’s strange that people are making jokes on an article that is about an adult grooming and abusing children. What the hell is wrong with people?
This is very sad – those poor girls. What a sick woman…disgusting! Sentence is nowhere near long enough.
Surely if she had sexual activity with a 12 year old she is a paedophile? Is she on the sexual predators register?
It’s a fricking sad state when people joke about this in the comments because it’s a woman in question.
Switch the sexes around and suddenly it would appear to be a lot more sinister. How’s that for double standards!
Pretending to be a man, the balls on her!!
She certainly looks like a man!
Is she not a man if she says she is a man? Isn’t Caitlin Jenner a woman now? Wtf?
Grot Master, if you have no understanding of what it means to be transgender, then just STFU
A c*** acting the b******s!!! All joking aside though its worrying that those type of people are out there & seem to think its ok to prey on what can only be called children!!!
Interesting to think what would have happened if she made contact with some of the pervey men who pretend to be teenage girls online – might have generated an awkward first meet that! Ah well – as I once read “Online dating, all great and grand until somebody buys a plane ticket!”
Regardless of law or social standards or norms, 12 to 17 year olds are children. The conduct of the perpetrator was vile, predatory and extremely abusive. It was indefensible conduct. Her gender or orientation does not diminish the gravity of the offences.
I would be less concerned about age parity situations but a 23 year old with a17 year old is unequal and allows scope for manipulation and an abusive relationship.
Should they not be more concerned that she was going after underage girls rather than the fact that she pretended to be male in order to do so? The article and the judge’s comments read more like they’re focusing on the deception and down playing the fact that the deception was used as a means to engage in grooming and pedophilia.
To be fair she looks like a bloke. Shave off that barnet and all of a sudden she resembles Mark the brickie from down the road.
Why do women get off lighter than men when it comes to sex crimes against kids. Same crime same sentence
No bollocks more like
Clearly those fooled should have gone to spec savers
I think you will find the age of consent for most of Europe is 14-15. Only Spain, the UK and Ireland are older.
No, 16 and 17 for quite a few other countries. 12 however is not an age of consent anywhere in Europe.
13 was the age of consent in Spain up until last year or the year before, it’s 14 in Italy. It’s 13 in Japan. It’s 13 in Argentina. These are all first world countries.
Oh, so I’m a paedophile? I see. Maybe you should move there and save them all. And btw, they are not underage in those countries. They are underage here, which just goes to show how arbitrary your argument is depending on where in the world you go.
That was a shitty comment you made in inferring I’m a paedophile, but I suppose when you think like you do…anyone who raises an alternative view to yours must be just that.
This from the man who couldn’t make his point without saying that people like me would convince children that they were abused.
According to you it would not be paedophilia so I’m not sure how you are offended? You are arguing that these girls weren’t abused because in some countries the age of consent is lower.
@Luke
I’m gonna go and take a page from your book, and use a line I’ve see you use on countless other articles. What you’re advocating and defending is illegal in Ireland and in the UK where this case is based. That’s the law of the land, and if you don’t like it, you’re free to leave.
That blew up quickly ! I think Luke was just giving examples of the age of consent in other countries. that’s all .
You didn’t see his other comments. He said that the ‘victims’ would never get over it, and something about that being utter b####x. He then went on to say that this was consensual and that people like me would convince kids they were abused. The thread was deleted because of his language I suspect. Do you think it blew up quickly now?
Dell , my apologies I wasn’t aware of his posts that were deleted .
@Suzie
Be thankful you missed it. The whole thread was removed, and his was the first comment on it, so it was definitely because of what he was saying that it was taken down. Flat out justifying adults having sex with children with that nonsense about how it happened for thousands of years in the past, how they still do it in third world countries, how it’s biologically possible so it must be okay.
Absolutely disgusting individual.
@Suzy
Be thankful you missed it. The whole thread was removed, and his was the first comment on it, so it was definitely because of what he was saying that it was taken down. Flat out justifying adults having sex with children with that nonsense about how it happened for thousands of years in the past, how they still do it in third world countries, how it’s biologically possible so it must be okay.
Absolutely disgusting individual.
Byran , that’s shocking , I’m not surprised his comments were taken down . that’s pretty low..
Oh and alright Orla ;)
The crying game 2
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