Fireys warning as hundreds rush to burn off before bushfire season starts

As hundreds of residents rush to beat the cut-off date authorities are urging everyone to play it safe after one family lost their home.

Firies are urging vigilance as another house is destroyed by fire just days before bushfire season begins.

Hundreds of residents around Northern NSW are rushing to do burn offs before bushfire season starts on September 1 according to the Rural Fire Service.

Northern Rivers Superintendent Michael Brett said there were 460 notifications of burns in the Northern Rivers area alone planned up until Tuesday, with hundreds more on the North Coast and other parts of the state.

He’s calling on residents not to rush to get their burns in, after a resident in The Channon lost their home on Saturday from what started as a rubbish burn.

“We have a lot of people burning and taking advantage of ideal conditions before permit restrictions from Wednesday,” Mr Brett said.

“People think they have to burn everything before Wednesday.

Firefighters attend a house fire on Wallace Rd, The Channon on August 28, 2021.

“That’s where things like this start to occur, when it’s simply an incident of burning rubbish that turns into a family losing their home.”

As of Wednesday residents will need a permit to perform burns.

He said residents need to be more prepared if they are burning, with water nearby and a plan for if things get out of control.

He said the RFS had also received a number of complaints about smoke from so many people burning.

“If you’re going to do this sort of work you need hoses and a plan on how you’re going to contain it as the wind changes,” he said.

He said the permits don’t restrict people from burning, instead it lets the RFS know who’s burning and when.

“It just makes it safer when we know who’s burning,” he said.

For more information on burning and permits visit the NSW RFS website here.