AFTER 27 days, residents and volunteers can take a collective sigh of relief with the bushfire near Hill End finally declared out. The blaze, which started on March 5, put up a serious battle for volunteers and handy locals, who spared no energy in keeping danger at arms length. It only took 10 days for the fire to be contained in a 130 kilometre perimeter, after it went on to ravage more than 17,900 hectares of land across areas including Tambaroora, Sallys Flat and Pyramul. With the mammoth task completed on March 31 - which was also in part helped by mother nature who dropped in excess of 100 mils in the past week - focus is directed towards recovery of the area. "It's a fantastic moment to have the fire out, not only for emergency services but for the local community as well," NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) inspector Troy Gersback said. "The one thing that stands out for me is while unfortunately we did see some property and cultural asset loss, as well as some animals, it's pleasing to see how many homes were saved in really trying circumstances, there were some fantastic saves. "Focus now is well and truly on the community not only coming back from this fire, but better into the future." Although "dedicated and passionate" volunteers have bid farewell to this blaze, their work is not over yet with an emergency bound to strike at any moment. "It would be great [to rest] but our volunteers are ready to respond 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so there's certainly no rest in many respects, particularly coming into Easter," Mr Gersback said. A number of recovery system points were established in the area by the NSW Reconstruction Authority which will continue for the coming days. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: