A Queensland adjudicator has rejected an urgent bid to switch off an electric vehicle charger at The Pavilion Apartments in Bulimba. Resident Kin Chen argued that the basement car park lacked fire safety systems to deal with a possible electric vehicle fire. The adjudicator found there was no immediate urgency, noting the charger has operated since about 2020. The body corporate committee had granted retrospective approval last month, with conditions including annual servicing. The broader challenge to that approval has yet to be decided, and the charger remains in use for now.
Dongara beautician Jemma Woodmore has spearheaded a bushfire preparation day for women after friends called her, unsure what to do during a blaze. Ms Woodmore said women often miss out on firefighting advice in male-dominated spaces, and she has since joined the volunteer fire brigade. Irwin resident Freya Smyth attended the workshop after a 2024 fire came within 300 metres of her home. Local emergency services manager Mick Antony said the event covered evacuation plans, extinguisher use and keeping identification ready. He urged residents to plan escape routes and use the Emergency WA app during fires.
Campfires will be banned in national parks and reserves in several Tasmanian municipalities from 2:00am on Monday, 26 October 2026. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania announced the bans in a media release issued on 23 October 2026.
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Macedon Ranges local Gregory Snart has been recognised for his community service. He joined the CFA in 1997 and is now group officer for eight brigades in his local area. Snart also runs youth mental health first aid programs and delivers fire safety information to schools, Landcare groups and aged care facilities. He says he was humbled to be chosen for the Ageing Victorian Senior Achiever Award, but that recognition is not why he helps his community. He is proud of his brigade's mix of ages and genders.
Bushfires could cost Australia $181bn over the next three decades unless homes are protected and fire risks are cut, a group of former emergency service chiefs has warned. The Emergency Leaders for Climate Action is calling on state and federal governments to fund a national fire-ready plan. A key recommendation is funding to help homeowners retrofit at-risk homes to national bushfire standards, at an estimated average cost of $39,466 per home. The group's founder, Greg Mullins, said the costs could be vastly reduced through investment in prevention.
Fire Danger Ratings have four levels, from Moderate, which calls for planning and preparation, to Catastrophic, which calls for leaving bushfire risk areas for survival. Ratings are issued on days with fire risk and are forecast up to four days ahead using Bureau of Meteorology data. They take account of weather and conditions such as vegetation. Residents can check current and forecast ratings, Total Fire Ban information and local warnings through CFA Local.
Mount Martha Fire Brigade is inviting residents to a Get Fire Ready event at Mount Martha Fire Station on Sunday 18 October, from 10am to 1pm. Volunteers will help people understand local fire risks, create or update fire plans, prepare properties before summer, and set up the VicEmergency app. A free sausage sizzle will be held. Brigade captain Brandon Crowder encouraged locals to attend and take simple steps now to feel more prepared ahead of summer.
Amazon Australia has removed a $48 LED ceiling light from sale after an industry body warned it about the product months earlier. Lighting Council Australia tested the light after buying it and found it kept burning after a glow-wire test and had exposed live wires. The council found seven in 10 of more than 130 lights tested failed safety standards, with nine in 10 Amazon products failing at least one check. Consumer group CHOICE says the sale of unsafe products is systemic, and the competition regulator says current laws generally do not cover online marketplaces.
Colac and district residents are encouraged to get ready early for the upcoming fire season. Local brigades are holding Get Fire Ready events, with Otway Fire Brigade member Stewart Hunt pictured.
Cigarettes and other smoking materials remain among the leading causes of preventable fire deaths in Victoria, according to state fire agencies. Smoking materials caused almost one in four fire fatalities in 2025 where the cause was identified. Investigators confirmed a cigarette butt placed in a tin ashtray started a house fire in Benalla, while smoking was a possible cause of a fire in Ararat. The CFA and FRV urge people to smoke outdoors, never smoke in bed and fully extinguish cigarettes. FRV advises a smoke alarm in every room where smoking takes place.
Ipswich residents are being urged to dispose of batteries correctly before a hotter-than-average summer. Mayor Teresa Harding said batteries crushed in bins or collection trucks can short circuit and generate extreme heat. A fire at the Riverview Resource Recovery Centre in July caused about $120,000 in damage and closed its transfer pit for five days. Batteries can be dropped off for free at the e-waste sections of the Riverview and Rosewood centres, or at approved retailers.
Residents of Rio Rancho Estates in New Mexico are worried about a hypersonic missile factory being built by defence startup Castelion near their homes. A hazard report from Sandia National Labs describes a storage facility fire as the worst-case scenario, and a fire could release toxic gases. Emails show the Rio Rancho Fire Department determined 17 of the 26 buildings would be left to burn if a fire started. Local officials approved large tax breaks and bonds for the project, and some residents say they were sold out by their local officials.
The NSW government has extended the Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project until 2045, which will produce over 800 million tonnes of climate pollution. NSW Fire and Rescue are urging residents to reduce fire hazards around their homes, including clearing gutters and disposing of flammable materials. Firefighters attended 1,005 residential fires in NSW during the spring of 2025, with 45 per cent lacking working smoke alarms.
