BATHURST region firefighters put in a 12-hour shift fighting blazes around Mudgee on Monday after a weekend of “catastrophic” conditions in the state.
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While the Bathurst district escaped lightly from a weekend of extreme temperatures and high winds, with only a tree fire at O’Connell reported on Sunday, other parts of the state were not as lucky.
Two fires continued to burn out of control in the Mudgee and Dunedoo districts as of Monday afternoon: a blaze near Kains Flat, north-east of Mudgee, that was moving east, and a blaze east of Dunedoo, the Sir Ivan Fire, that was moving north.
Adding firefighting support for a 12-hour shift.
- NSW Rural Fire Superintendent Greg Sim
Firefighters at the Kains Flat blaze, supported by water-bombing aircraft and heavy plant, were focused on strengthening containment lines to the north-east of the fire near Wollar village on Monday, according to the NSW Rural Fire Service.
The NSW RFS said further containment lines were being established on the northern and western flanks.
The NSW RFS reported increased fire activity on the eastern and north-eastern side of the Sir Ivan Fire on Monday.
An evacuation centre was open at Club Mudgee and the Mudgee Showground was also open to cater for people with animals.
NSW RFS Superintendent Greg Sim said Raglan, Eglinton, Bathurst, Hill End, South Bowenfels and Oberon brigades all travelled to the fires to support the crews battling the blazes.
They were due to return to their homes on Monday night.
Supt Sim said the various local district brigades supplied a total manpower of about 30 firefighters.
“They will be adding firefighting support for a 12-hour shift,” he said.
Bathurst reached an official top of 41.5 degrees on Saturday – the highest recorded temperature for the city for any month – and hit 39 degrees on Sunday before a cool change came through mid-afternoon.
The worst of the temperatures in the next week are set to be 34 and 35 on Thursday and Friday, but they will be book-ended by much milder February days.
There is also a chance of showers from Thursday through to Sunday after an extremely dry start to the year.
Supt Sim said the cooler weather had made things easier for district firefighters, but warned that the Central Tablelands remained in a period of high temperatures.