EXTREME fire danger into the weekend has forced a total fire ban across the Mid-North Coast and closed all State forests north of Sydney to the Queensland border.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The fire rating for Thursday, November 7 through until Saturday, November 9 across Bellingen, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Kempsey and Nambucca is rated as severe.
It will be a tense few days for Rural Fire Service crews and other support agencies who have come off a week of intense fire fighting at Crestwood-Lake Cathie where miraculously no homes or lives were lost after a 2880 hectare blaze ripped a path through Lake Innes Nature Reserve.
Aerial photos provided by Alex McNaught of www.Roving-Eye.com show how extensive the fire front stretches from Port Macquarie in the north to as far south as Houston Mitchell Drive.
A fire continues to burn at Bril Bril over almost 3000 hectares. It is being controlled as is a fire at Gum Scrub west of Telegraph Point and Ballengarra north of Cooperabung.
Forestry Corporation of NSW's senior manager forest stewardship Kathy Lyons asked the community to stay out of State forests due to the very high risk to public safety.
"We are expecting very high to severe and extreme fire weather over the next three days and there are already extensive fires across the north coast and tablelands. Fires are likely to be uncontrollable in these conditions," Ms Lyons said.
"All State forests from the north of Sydney to the Queensland border and the northern tablelands will be closed for the next three days due to the high fire danger.
"This closure will affect popular camp grounds and picnic areas throughout the region including Olney, Heaton and Strickland State forests, Swans Crossing near Kendall, Coopernook Headquarters and recreation areas along the Allyn River and Telegherry River in the Chichester State forest.
"Please do not enter these forests over the next three days."
For the latest information about fires, visit the Rural Fire Service website www.rfs.nsw.gov.au