Mullions Ranges fire under control after NSW Rural Fire Services work throughout night
Published Date: 07 Jan 2020
Summary
Emergency services have worked throughout the night to manage a fire in the Mullions Range State Forest.
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The fire burnt through approximately 5-7 hectares of pine forest approximately 30-kilometres north of Orange, before the fire was under control.
NSW Rural Fire Service responded to a report of smoke at about 9.30pm on Monday evening, with 11 tankers sent out from various branches.
Volunteers from the Orange, North West, March, Euchareena and the Canobolas branch attended the fire, the origins of which was being investigated on Tuesday.
Canobolas Zone Operations Coordinator Brett Bowden said he was able to ascertain from the individual who reported the fire at Kerrs Creek that a bulldozer would be required.
"We realised it was in the pine forest and had a dozer attend pretty quickly," he said.
Mr Bowden said the contractor established a track around the perimeter of the fire just after midnight which acted as an 'earth break' and allowed the crews to get trucks in.
The fire crews handed over to State Forest at about 3.30am who will continue to manage the blaze on Tuesday.
Mr Bowden said while the morning rain bought some relief the sound of lightning was less welcome.
"My initial thought at 4am this morning when I first heard lightening was 'I just hope that's enough rain'," he said.
"I fear that we will certainly get more fires out of this storm this week."
The Ophir Brigade was called to respond to a call of power lines down on Ophir Road in Clifton Grove at 6.30am.
"There'll be more of that kind of thing over the next couple of days," Mr Bowden said.
Mr Bowden urged the public to keep a 'vigilant eye out' especially on the timber ranges as it was 'critical' to get to these fires quickly.
"We can map areas of concern based on the amount of lightening," he said.
He said the western side of Mt Canobolas and Nangar National Park were both areas of concern.
"Usually we would use aircrafts to monitor the area but there's not many aircrafts because of the fires that are ongoing right across NSW,' he said.
