NSW bushfires: Homes razed as fires revive Black Summer fears
Thousands of hectares of bushland have been turned to a crisp by a fire that roared through the Bega region on Tuesday night.
Tensions are high on the NSW south coast as the first major bushfire since the Black Summer of 2019-20 hit the Bega region, with at least three homes destroyed by a blaze fought by more than 200 firefighters.
More than 5000ha of bushland was burnt in the fire which started at noon on Tuesday.
A southerly change moved through the fire ground overnight, bringing a welcome change in conditions as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns visited the region on Wednesday afternoon.
Rain hit the fireground at 5pm on Wednesday but firefighters said much heavier falls were required to help extinguish the flames, which is expected to take several days.
The early start to the season has surprised many residents, with firefighters experiencing the harshest conditions in several years.
NSW RFS Inspector Brendan Doyle told The Australian on Wednesday afternoon that there was no risk to property.
“We’ve seen an abatement in the weather, the fire is soon to drop to Advice level, with continuing easing of those conditions, crews remain to consolidate those containment lines,” he said.
“The fire edge ... is several kilometres that they have to contain, so they’ll be working through but certainly the weather has given us the upper hand.”
The Australian was on the ground in the early hours of Wednesday as the fire was downgraded from Emergency Warning level – the highest level of a bushfire alert – to Watch and Act.
One firefighter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said it was the biggest fire in the region since the 2019-20 bushfires.
“They said there was 70km/h winds and they couldn’t keep in front of the fire, it was just spotting all over the place,” the firefighter said. “This is a major fire because it’s so dry, the wind, the heat, the humidity.
“This won’t be our last one.
“A lot of this area burnt in the ’19-20 fires but a lot didn’t burn; I’m worried that’s going to catch.
“I absolutely think we’re going to be in for a big season, it’s the start, this is the biggest we’ve had,” they said.
Another firefighter said they did not believe enough preparation had been done in the area.
Dozens of crews remained on the fireground overnight monitoring the fire and weather conditions, with concerns of southerly winds pushing the blaze towards the coastal town of Bermagui, which did not eventuate.
Inspector Doyle said residents needed to be mindful of falling trees, with one vehicle already sustaining damage.
“It‘s certainly a reminder for those residents in the area that whilst the fire threat has eased, there’s still a risk on the roadways, especially on those closed roadways,” he said. “We’re currently prioritising the safety assessment of those trees throughout the fire affected area.”
On Wednesday afternoon Anthony Albanese and Chris Minns met emergency service co-ordinators at the Bega Valley Rural Fire Service and Emergency Operations Centre,
At a press conference, they commended the people of southeastern NSW dealing with the bushfire season.
The Prime Minister said fatigue was “certainly going to be a factor” throughout the season.
“We’re just at the beginning of October, and already we have a serious fire here that has had an impact,” he said.
“We can smell, we can see the impact these fires are having. And that would be having a triggering response for people who went through such a traumatic time during the summer of 2019-2020.
“But many of the people that I met during that period who are providing the support and services, I’ve met again.
“They’re back, doing what they always do, helping their fellow Australians. And it seems to be there’s something insistent in the Australian character … we see people digging deep to, in some cases as well, put their own safety on the line, there are more than 200 people fighting fires as we speak right now.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the state owes the community “a hell of a lot”.
“A lot of the firefighters that backed up last night and pulled a 24-hour shift were the same people that had to go through the 2019-2020 bushfires,“ he said.
“It shows their commitment to the community and the state owes them a hell of a lot.”
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