The number of homes lost to three fires in northern NSW has risen to nine as strong winds continue to hamper the efforts of firefighters to bring them under control.
Hundreds of firefighters are working to contain blazes at Bees Nest north of Ebor, in Drake near Tenterfield and near Shark Creek, south of Yamba, where watch and act alerts remain in place.
Strong southerly winds forecast today are not expected to help the firefighters in their efforts to strengthen the control lines, according to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.
“We’re expecting those winds to gust up to 80 kilometres per hour by 11:00am, so that’s going to put real pressure on the work that was done overnight,” Ben Shepherd from the NSWRFS said.
“At this stage, it does appear about nine homes have now been destroyed.
“As soon as we can actually get in and do a full assessment of these firegrounds we’ll be able to determine full numbers but that could take a number of days.”
Jolyon White and his family spent a tense night defending their property which came within 50 metres of their home at Wooloweyah near Yamba.
“It came firing through this morning at about 5.30. So now I am just on ember watch and hopefully that southerly doesn’t come through and cause havoc,” he said.
“My wife and kids tried to get out but Angourie Road was blocked so we just had to bunker down at home and keep an eye on it.”
He credits a recent Rural Fire Service hazard reduction burn in the area for saving his house and others in his street.
Donations needed
Residents who were evacuated from the Bees Nest fire are being accommodated in nearby Dorrigo.
Marg Toozoff says she has been astounded by the generosity of the community.
“There’s food, there’s clothing, there’s accommodation — Dorrigo is just opening their homes to anybody who needs accommodation, there are horses and cattle being agisted,” she said.
Kymbalee Tarran is helping run the Dorrigo evacuation centre and says there is a need for donations of warm clothes and shoes for children.
Countless people have helped in the evacuation centre in the past few days, she said.
Stock losses around the Bees Nest fire have been especially devastating, rural fire service group captain Pat Bradley said.
“My heart goes out to these people, they fed this stock through and supported them through the drought now it looks like they’ve lost hundreds,” he said.
The NSWRFS said it could take weeks to control the fires.abcnews