‘We’ll pay the price for it in the summer’: Controlled burns ramped up amid fears of horror bushfire season

Three years of La Niña rain has caused a vegetation explosion, prompting concern from firefighters.

Fireys will ramp up controlled burns across Sydney and the rest of NSW ahead of what’s predicted to be a horror fire season from three years of La Niña rain.

The Rural Fire Service (RFS) says heavy rainfall and floods in the lead up to winter have caused an explosion in vegetation growth, exacerbating the bushfire threat this coming summer.

Vegetation, supercharged by three years of La Niña rain, means NSW firefighters are facing a particularly tough bushfire season. Picture: Rob Blomfield.

Crews have been burning more than 100ha of bushland over Saturday as they kick their controlled burns into gear.

“People have obviously been very focused on floods – we now need to shift that back to fire,” RFS commissioner Rob Rogers told Nine.

More than 100ha of bushland is being burned on Saturday, so Sydneysiders shouldn’t be surprised if they smell smoke or see smog. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

“We are seeing frost now going across the landscape that‘s killing all that grass making it more ready to burn.

“We have got to do this work because if we don‘t, potentially we’ll pay the price for it in the summer.”

The heavy rain brought about by three years of the La Niña weather system mean firefighters are only at about 20 per cent of their burning program.

It is normally at about 70 per cent this time of the year.