Firefighters battle bushfire in Darwin rural area

FIREFIGHTERS have battled a bushfire that has come perilously close to homes, forcing residents to flee in the face of the flames

UPDATE:

The bushfire in the Humpty Doo was under control around 6pm last night, with fireys retunring to the scene early this morning to ensure the fire doesn’t reignite.

Multiple properties were effected and authorities are warning there may still be smoke in the area that could impact visibility on the roads.

EARLIER:

FIREFIGHTERS have battling a bushfire in the rural area that threatened homes.

It comes after fireys battled some of the toughest fire conditions in years at the end of last month.

A police spokeswoman said that as of late Sunday afternoon, no homes had been lost in the blaze at Humpty Doo.

The spokeswoman said a fire investigator would on Monday head out to the Humpty Doo and Girraween area to investigate the cause of the fire.

Firefighters were battling a bushfire spreading on multiple fronts near the Girraween Golf Course and Humpty Doo on Sunday afternoon. Picture: Katrina Bridgeford

The fire was spreading on multiple fronts near the Girraween Golf Course and impacting properties on Woodcote Road while potentially threatening others on Angelsey Road.

A watch and act warning was in place at 3.30pm today with residents urged to “start taking action now to protect your family and your property” amid the changing conditions and “heightened level of threat”.

A Bushfires NT spokesman said smoke from the fire may have affected visibility and urged motorists to drive to the conditions.

“For the safety of firefighting crews and other vehicles, drivers in the area are urged to slow down, turn on headlights and drive safely for the conditions.”

Firefighters were battling a bushfire spreading on multiple fronts near the Girraween Golf Course and Humpty Doo on Sunday afternoon. Picture: Katrina Bridgeford

Meanwhile, residents in Gunn Point, Cossack outside Katherine and Hardies Lagoon on the Arnhem Highway were also being urged to monitor the situation, with bushfires there also spreading on one or more fronts.

A total fire ban is also now in place in the Darwin, Adelaide River, Batchelor, Litchfield and Coomalie Shire areas with fireys still working to contain the perimeter of the fires late Sunday afternoon.

Firefighters were battling a bushfire spreading on multiple fronts near the Girraween Golf Course and Humpty Doo on Sunday afternoon. Picture: Katrina Bridgeford

For updates and further information on the fires, visit https://www.pfes.nt.gov.au/incidentmap.

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Two people have been charged in the past month for lighting bushfires.

A 57-year-old man was charged in relation to a fire in the Batchelor region on Tuesday, August 18 while a 24-year-old man was charged in relation to a bushfire in the Adelaide River region late last month after fire danger reading reached catastrophic levels.