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A BATHURST strike team made up of volunteer Rural Fire Service (RFS) firefighters is staying strong on the frontline of the State Mine Fire near Lithgow, providing 24-hour protection to people and property.
The fire has burnt through more than 37,000 hectares of bushland so far. Among the casualties since the fires ignited on Thursday has been the historic Zig Zag Railway, which suffered up to $4 million damage when a blaze tore through Bottom Points.
More than 100 ground crews are still battling the blaze, which is expected to burn for weeks. Premier Barry O’Farrell yesterday declared a state of emergency across NSW for the next 30 days.
An eerie blanket of smoke descended on Bathurst over the weekend, causing the cancellation of a number of local sporting fixtures.
Junior Sport Report radio presenter and local councillor Graeme Hanger said all junior cricket matches on Saturday were abandoned as a result of smoke pollution.
“That’s never happened in my time,” he said. “Rain, flood, snow, sleet – yes. But this is the first time smoke has been the reason.
“It was a very wise and appropriate move. There was a lot of smoke around in the morning, and the health of the players is more important than anything else.”
Cr Hanger said interschool tennis to be played between St Stanislaus’ College, All Saints’ College, and Kinross Wolaroi School on Saturday was also cancelled.
Three games of rugby league scheduled on Saturday between Western Division and NSW Samoan development teams were postponed as a result of the bushfires and associated road closures.
Late yesterday, the Bells Line of Road and the Darling Causeway remained closed in both directions. The Great Western Highway was open, however motorists should avoid all non-essential travel.
The RFS has warned that challenging days lie ahead, with the return of warm, dry weather and strong winds this week.
Superintendent Tom Shirt from the Chifley/Lithgow RFS said tomorrow was looking ominous.
“We’re planning for a bad day on Tuesday,” he said yesterday.
“What we’ve done today is set up individual community protection plans in areas where we think problems may arise. We will have units very close by to act accordingly once a trigger activates these plans.”
Supt Shirt said RFS crews had been working tirelessly over the weekend to contain the blaze.
“We’re still working hard to get lines of containment around this fire,” he said.
“There’s active fire around Dargan and we’re considering backburning there in the near future. We’ve issued warnings to people to leave the area, and most people are out of there.
“The western side of Dargan is all burnt, but there’s a lot of unburnt area on the eastern side. We’ll wait to see if weather conditions tomorrow are conducive to backburning.”
Crews completed backburning from Mount Wilson to Bell on Saturday night. Though yesterday, the community of Bell was being advised to evacuate.
Supt Shirt said RFS firefighters from around the state – including around 20 volunteers from Bathurst that form a round-the-clock strike team – were putting in a tremendous effort to control the blaze.
“A group that doesn’t often get recognition – and should – is our volunteers’ employers,” he said.
“We never know when a situation like this will arise, and they are very generous with the time they allow volunteers to have off.”
