Information on the ‘Sheep Skin Complex’ fire Issued at 3pm on the 19th January 2014 Situation Background The ‘Sheep Skin Fire’ is a complex of four fires. The ‘MacDonald’ and ‘Rock Holes’ fires have been confirmed as a result of lightning strikes on the 22nd December 2013. The ‘Fish-Tin’ and ‘Sheep Skin’ fires continue to be investigated as to their origin. The ‘Sheep Skin’, ‘Macdonald’ and ‘Fish-Tin’ fires have joined. To better manage these fires they have been combined into the ‘Sheep Skin Complex’ of fires. The recent ‘Hungerford’ fire that burnt 65,000 hectares in October-November 2013 is directly to the west. The ‘Sheep Skin Complex’ fires are burning in both the Putty State Forest and Wollemi National Park as well as on private property. Terrain throughout much of the fire ground is very steep and remote with highly dissected rocky landscape of deep gullies, cliff lines and canyons. The area is predominantly dry, open eucalypt forests. The fire now covers more than 22,000ha with a broader containment of over 25 000 ha. Situation Overview Today fire fighters from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS), National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Forest Corporation NSW, assisted by Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) continue work on fires within the Sheep Skin Complex and a fourth fire that has been burning in the Lithgow LGA and has entered the Singleton LGA near Putty. They are being supported by ‘out of area’ crews and 12 aircraft. There are also 11 heavy plant units assisting at various locations across the fire ground. Back burning operations will continue throughout the coming week northward along the Bulga trail to the south of Apple Tree flat and into the southern end of Doyles Creek. Back burning in this area shall continue as long as the weather conditions allow. This back burning operation is extremely important work that needs to be carried out. Unfortunately, due to the very remote location of these fires, the only way to prevent their further spread is by carrying out a large scale back burning operation. The ‘Rock Holes’ fire, near Kindarun and north of Putty, re-ignited on Friday 17th January. Ground crews supported by water bucketing aircraft have been working on this fire to secure containment. On Saturday 18th January this fire started to run towards nearby properties in the Kindarun area which came under ember attack. Ground crews provided property protection. Strategies are in place to contain and extinguish this fire. Smokey conditions will remain until significant rain falls across all the fire grounds. People with respiratory conditions should take extra care while smoky conditions persist. More information is available on the Asthma Australia website at asthmaaustralia.org.au/Bushfires.aspx?terms=bushfire Advice Monitor conditions and prepare your property now. Check and follow your Bush Fire Survival Plan. If you do not have a plan, decide what you will do if the situation changes. Leaving early is your safest option. While no properties are under immediate threat, people living in the area should ensure their homes are appropriately prepared. Information If your life is at risk, call Triple Zero (000) immediately. Continue to stay up to date with the bush fire situation by checking rfs.nsw.gov.au, listening to your local radio station or by calling the NSW RFS Bush Fire Information Line on 1800 679 737. For information on road closures, check livetraffic.rta.nsw.gov.au. Roads may be closed without warning. For information on closures of National Parks associated with this fire, please visit npws.nsw.gov.au If you need to report a new fire or require urgent assistance, dial Triple Zero (000). Authorised by Incident Controller, Paul Jones, Hunter Valley Fire Control Centre. Issued by the Incident Management Team on behalf of the Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service
Posted on: Sun, 19 Jan 2014 19:38:25 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015