FIREFIGHTERS near Yass are sifting through the remnants of a 200 hectare fire that blazed through the area yesterday (Sunday), closing the Hume Hwy for two to three hours.
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Keep up to date with The Land's Firewatch NSW this bushfire season (see below)
Joel Kershaw, spokesman for the NSW Rural Fire Service said there were unconfirmed reports of some structural loss, which could include farm sheds.
“We’re waiting for a more detailed assessment but some fencing and potentially some cattle could have been destroyed as well as some property, be it a hay shed or a farm house,” Mr Kershaw said.
The fire started about six kilometres south of Yass at about 6pm on Sunday and, according to Mr Kershaw, “took off quite quickly” before being contained at about 10pm.
It took more than four trucks and 120 firefighters to control the fire. The cause is not yet known and will be subject to further investigation.
“This should reinforce to people how quickly grass fires can escalate,” Mr Kershaw told The Land.
It ended a busy weekend for rural firefighters across the State.
On Friday afternoon there were two or three significant fires near Narrabri as temperatures soared to 47.8 degrees and at Walgett to an agonising 49 degrees, causing the Rural Fire Service to declare “catastrophic” fire danger in the Coonamble area for most of the day.
Despite the nightmare weather conditions easing today, a 20,000ha bush fire is burning is a very remote area, close to Gospers Mountain in the Lithgow council area.
The fire is being tackled mostly by aircraft water bombing.
Mr Kershaw said the RFS continued to monitor conditions and was working with a Bureau of Meteorology employee looking ahead at the weather both in NSW and in other States.
“This week is not tipped to be anywhere near as bad but there are still 32 bush and grass fires burning across the State,” he said.
“Thirteen of these remain uncontained at this stage.”
Visit www.rfs.nsw.gov.au for up to date information on fires in your area.
Send your fire photos to jenna.cairney@fairfaxmedia.com.au.
