A BUSHFIRE that has been burning off the Freemantle Road since Friday night has finally been brought under control.
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A lightning strike ignited the blaze, known as the Belerada Creek fire, in inaccessible steep terrain.
NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) crews from Bathurst and Chifley region joined Canobolas crews and out-of-area strike force firefighter to tackle the huge blaze.
Canobolas RFS Superintendent David Hoadley said the 1291 hectare blaze was finally brought under control on Wednesday.
“It’s held up very well, the fire hasn’t got any bigger today [Wednesday] and it’s within its containment lines,” he said.
However, with hot weather predicted and a total fire ban in place for Thursday, Supt Hoadley said ground and air crews would remain on site at the Belerada Creek blaze.
“We’ll have one helicopter on that fire tomorrow for observation and water bombing,” he said.
“Crews will be on the ground tomorrow to monitor it and black out hot spots.”
Meanwhile, the 1666 hectare fire burning at Mount Canobolas has been listed as ‘being controlled’ .
Firefighters were expecting the worst on Wednesday, with deteriorating weather conditions and a severe fire danger risk in place.
“Mount Canobolas has survived the weather which has been very good,” Supt Hoadley said.
Late Wednesday, 180 firefighters, 54 appliances and 10 heavy plant items remained on scene.
Supt Hoadley said ground crews at the Mount Canobolas fire have been assisted by aircraft since the blaze ignited.
A top of 32 degrees is predicted in Bathurst on Thursday with a very high fire danger risk.
- Stay up-to-date on the NSW RFS Fires Near Me website or smartphone app.