Eight Fires in the Upper Hunter Area

IT’s only the second day of summer and local rural fire service crews have already responded to eight fires in the Upper Hunter Shire area. 

Tim Honner, from the Liverpool Range Rural Bush Fire Service, which covers the Upper Hunter Shire area said the two main areas of concern is the fire in the Goulburn River National Park and the Barrington.

“The fire in the Goulburn National Park fire is 6,773 hectares and is out of control, but currently not threatening properties,” said Tim.

“National Parks are responding with support from local brigades and crews as far afield as Parkes,” he said.

“In the Barrington we are slowly getting ahead of them and on the Carter’s Road fire there is a lot of back burning taking place.

“We have four fire bombers on standby, but our main approach is dry fire fighting, with back burning and putting in dozer lines to contain them.

“There is no water up there, all of the creeks are dry.

“The Barrington Tops ecosystem relies on a lot of water there is a lot of brack and low grass and there should be a lot of creeks and stream fed by springs but there is none anymore.

“Yesterday when I was on one of the fires, we had to get water out of a single hole in a creek, a creek that had flowed in all living memory is now dry and that is the case on most properties and most areas around the state,” said Tim

Local Fires

• Barrington Tops – Polblue Ridge – 15 ha – under control
• Glenrock Trig – Callemondah Road, 62 ha – under control
• Goulburn River National Park – Meads Creek West, Goulburn 6773 ha out of control
• Moonan Brook – Gold Diggers Creek – under control
• Moonan Brook – Trapeers Fire Trail – under control
• Stewarts Brook – Carters Road, 398 ha – under control
• Upper Moonan Brook – Barrington Tops – being controlled
• Upper Rouchel – Back Creek caused by a lightning strike – under control

What’s Ahead

“The fires will be burning for some time yet, but they are being controlled,” said Tim.

“We have to take everyday as it comes, because there is nothing we can do about the weather, we plan what we have to do today to get in control of the fire, then plan for what you are going to do tomorrow so you don’t leave a flank exposed that a large gust of wind to spread the fire somewhere that is not protected,” Tim Honner said.

Plea to Plan

Tim emphasised the need for people to be prepared this fire season, check Fires Near Me and tune into the emergency broadcaster ABC Radio if there was a fire in their area.

“We urge people to contact us to help them prepare their fire plan,” said Tim.

“I’d rather spend weeks handing out fire plan packs and walking people through what they need to do, than be coordinating evacuations where people are not prepared and a fire is approaching,” Tim Honner said.