you're right, Ebbbie - in a world of weasel words & spin where new ways of describing things gives us terms like "collateral damage" finding the right words for a situation or an action is not easy.

I've been out all day so have missed the continual reports, & I'm heading out to a singing session in a few hours. The weather has been better today - no winds, but the situation is still bad.


More than 20 bushfires continue to burn uncontained across New South Wales despite fire crews taking advantage of today's easing weather conditions.

The crisis has claimed at least one life - a 63-year-old man who collapsed and died while defending his home at Lake Munmorah on the Central Coast late yesterday.

Authorities are beginning to get a clearer picture of the scale of destruction and say hundreds of homes have been lost across the state.

In the worst-hit areas in the Blue Mountains, the Rural Fire Service says 30 per cent of properties have been inspected, with 81 confirmed lost and 37 damaged.

RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons fought back tears today while describing how some firefighters have lost their own homes in the crisis.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has also praised the efforts of fire crews: "These are ordinary people who, on an extraordinary day, come together to support their community and to protect their fellow Australians."

Faces of the bushfires

Man dies after collapsing while defending home from fire

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