Tuesday, November 12 was a very long and very dangerous day for fire crews across New South Wales.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
By Wednesday morning, the 19 emergency warning fires across NSW had been downgraded to Watch and Act. Millions of hectares of land across the state has been burned.
A dozen homes have been damaged or destroyed, particularly at Hillville near Taree.
According to Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons, the work to contain fires and manage fire zones is likely to continue until it rains - and rains a lot.
West of the Pacific Highway from Nambucca Heads in the north to Laurieton in the south remained on high alert overnight with all villages warned to taken action before it was too late. Fortunately, all fire zones were held at bay in strong winds overnight.
The 60,000 hectare fire at Stockyard Creek west of Wauchope remains a pressure point. Residents at Pappinbarra, Hollisdale, Long Flat, Bellangry, Rollands Plains, Ballengarra, Beechwood and Telegraph Point are being urged to continue to monitor conditions and be aware of burning embers. It has been downgraded to Watch and Act.
There were more than 3000 firefighters working hard across the state in some terrible conditions.
Laurieton United Services Club at 2 Seymour Street Laurieton; Wauchope High School and Wauchope Showground (for animals) are designated evacuation centres. Westport Club and Panthers Port Macquarie are among local clubs open as safe places and will also be a back-up evacuation centre if required.
The southerly winds will continue to push fires in a north-easterly direction.
Stay up to date on bush fires in your area by checking the NSW RFS website, listening to your local radio station, or by calling the NSW RFS Bush Fire Information Line on 1800 679 737. Call Triple-0 (000) in an emergency.
For information on road closures, check www.livetraffic.com. Roads may be closed without warning.
For rolling updates, stay here
Please wait for updates to load