FIREFIGHTERS are on the scene of a grass fire which has temporariliy closed the Mid Western Highway.
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Rural Fire Service (RFS) operations officer for Chifley-Lithgow Team, Brett Taylor, said the blaze is currently about two or three acres in size, with five RFS crews in attendance.
"We've got Fitzgerald's Valley one, Perthville one and seven, Bathurst one and Eglinton one alpha, we've also got our bulk water (a big water truck) and two group officers on scene as well," he said
Mr Taylor said the fire wasn't under control when the Western Advocate spoke to him at 4.50pm, but crews were working hard to contain the blaze which began at 4.22pm.
He said it was too early to know what had caused the grass fire.
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He said fire crews had to close the highway because smoke from the fire is impacting visibility on the road, creating a safety hazard, with the highway shut at 1372 Mid Western Highway, Evans Plains.
In a win for firies, the blaze has been pushed up against the road itself which is aiding in its containment, and stopping its spread.
Just this week the RFS suspended all fire permits until further notice in the Bathurst, Lithgow and Oberon Local Government Areas.
NSW RFS Inspector John Bennett said on Monday that the current conditions in the region could spell disaster should a fire break out.
The RFS said the predicted weather conditions and the abundance of rapidly curing grass fuels have created a situation whereby any fire in the Chifley/Lithgow area has the potential to develop into an emergency incident.
Mr Taylor said fire crews obviously want to avoid any fire on the ground in the upcoming days.
"The grass has dried off very dramatically with the dry weather we are having," he said.
"Tomorrow's (Thursday's) fire danger rating is going to be high, so tomorrow is going to be a day of concern with the westerly, north-westerly winds and hot weather, so if you see a fire or smoke, please call Triple-0 straight away," he said.
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