Only less than 1 third of the fires are presently under 'control' and with weather warming up as it always at this time of year, sadly, things can change in an instant plus almost the entire country is drier than a tinder-box and that means it only takes one tiny spark or a gust of wind and those fires will be raging again.
You know, it's got me buggered WHY they insist upon using water from dams and reservoirs, etc, to dump on the fires from the air when, like around Sydney for example, they have bloody miles and miles of seas and oceans available and they could also be diverting sewage out flows into holding areas as storages for water as well.
We ARE in a HUGE drought FFS, every drop of potable water IS needed for the people, etc, to drink so why not leave that for those who need it and use that which no-one wants instead?

@Triphid I believe that sea water permanently sterilises the ground turning it into salt desert.

@FrayedBear Well that being so then why not use the sewage outflows instead?

@Triphid I don't know if it is collected and close enough to the fires.

@Triphid I once suggested that water be stored in disused mines and was laughed at because of the amount contaminant left in mines!

@FrayedBear Well way back in 1994 I actually, designed, invented and tested a prototype of what I called the Bio-degradable Water Bombing Device that used waste plastics for the shell and waste water plus retardants for the contents.
I applied for and got a patent for it, tested numerous sizes from ones holding 20 litres of water to ones small enough to fired from a gun similar to a Flare Gun.
The 20 litre ones were dropped onto large trays of burning diesel from a private, single engine aircraft owned by a friend from altitudes of anywhere between 100metres and 500metres each rime and they worked great, putting the diesel fire out completely and it WAS NO small amount of diesel used each time either, we used about 30 litres spread out over an area of 60+ square metres.
I offered my Water Bomb designs to countless manufacturers of Fire Fighting Equipment and the Australian Government and got knocked back every time.
We even tested the "mini bombs" inside a close steel shed to simulate an underground or building blaze.
We built and used a home-made compressed air operated pistol to fire them at the base of each fire with exactly the same results, total and complete extinguishment of the blaze.
All of this was done under very watchful eyes of the local Fire Brigade who actually, with my written consent, filmed and documented every test and results.
What I was using as a Fire Retardant surprised them all, a mix of cheap, common household dishwashing liquid, sugar and laundry powder added to the water ( waste grey water I might add).
I still have the designs stashed away amongst my numerous other documents, etc, including a design for Altitude sensing Detonation of the Water Bombs and maybe, just maybe, when the Government is screaming out for new Fire-Fighting Ideas they may just deign to contact me.

@FrayedBear At last count there was well over 300,000 litres of groundwater in EACH of the Number 2 and Number Shafts of the Old North Broken Hill Mine Lease. Mining Company, Perilya, want to re-open these shafts BUT the water problem is giving them trouble because they have nowhere to pump it that conforms with EPA guide-lines.
Yes, the water is contaminated with rust from abandoned mining equipment, explosives residues and mineral residues, etc, BUT it IS water and that water is sorely needed to fight these fires so why not use it, the heat from the fires will vaporize the explosives residues, burn off the other residues but the water will help to put the fires out, shit, if pissing on the fires would be of any help at all I'd be volunteering all the piss I can possibly make.

@Triphid Retards don't talk to intelligent people. I've just been talking to a guy who has had to return millions of dollars of scholarships for PhD students as there is a total lack of interest from Australians. Unless research is continuous into crop growing yields will continue to spiral downwards. Aparently China is now refusing WA grain for lack of substance. In rice production most countries are running at 10-12 tons. Sri Lanka has not undertaken research for a long time. Their production is only 2 tons apparently. Rising temperatures are one of the adverse influences but of course the retards say that temperatures are not rising.