NSW Rural Fire Service extinguish fires near Molong, Greenthorpe and Junction Reefs
Published Date: 31 Dec 2020
Summary
The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) is urging vigilance through the back end of the fire season after responding to three separate incidents in the Central West on Tuesday, all of which were upgraded to patrol status overnight.
Two incidents were grass fires on private properties near Greenthorpe and Molong respectively while the third was a small bush fire at Junction Reefs Reserve.
Combined with the prevailing conditions, the incidents sparked the RFS' renewed calls for caution, as even the smallest of burns could quickly become out of control.
The incident near Greenthorpe is believed to have been sparked by machinery and burned through five to six hectares, with five RFS trucks attending after the incident was called in around 4.30pm.
The property owner assisted crews to keep the fire under control and ensure it was completely extinguished, the incident's status was updated just before 9pm on Tuesday evening.
Heavy plant was engaged to help control and extinguish the incident near Molong, which was a burn on private property that surged through hay bales and was initially called in on Tuesday afternoon.
Crews will also return to Junction Reefs Reserve this morning to ensure it has been completely extinguished, and to assess any further dangers after four crews controlled a small bush fire on Tuesday evening.
The fire, which burned through about one hectare, is suspected to have been started from a campfire however that hasn't yet been confirmed and is potentially still under investigation.
The incidents came as Brett Bowden, operations manager for Canobolas Rural Fire Service (RFS), voiced his concerns about this weekend's forecast in the region.
He also advised people to download the RFS Fires Near Me app and to avoid using machinery that could spark a blaze, like Tuesday's.
"Using machinery - slashers, ride-on mowers, chainsaws, motorbikes or vehicles - in long grass paddocks on a hot, dry, breezy day is certainly frowned upon and it's not what you should be doing as a responsible community member," he said.
"Machinery runs on internal combustion engines and there can be hot, moving parts - belts and gears and exhausts - and the ability of them to be hitting rocks and creating a spark.
"That's all you need - one spark and we're off."
