Update 3.45pm: As the afternoon heats up, the Rural Fire Service continues to battle with the bush fire near Seale Rd, East of Kempsey. Currently, 44 volunteers and 12 fire units are back burning and extinguishing hot spots to contain the fire.A second smaller fire to the South West has seen crews redeployed for backburning operations.
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Rural Fire Service volunteers have visited landholders in the Belmore River, Loftus Road and Crescent Head Road areas, providing updates on the fire. At this stage, the fire crews will remain on scene until the area is safe, before returning tomorrow morning.
Due to the presence of the swamp and peat, the cleanup is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
11.30am: Hampered by poor conditions and a lack of access, five crews and seven trucks from the Rural Fire Service (RFS) are still battling a bushfire near Seale Rd, East of Kempsey.
"At this stage, the fire is still being controlled. The swampy areas ahead of the fire front are hard to access," Inspector Belinda Devine said.
"Our crews have also been dealing with underlying dry conditions, and strong winds, yesterday we saw wind speed reach 65km/h."
"Due to the dry and windy conditions, we are advising anyone planning to do a private burn to reconsider."
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According to the RFS, the blaze has covered 270 hectares so far, and the cause is still being determined. This is the second time fire crews have responded to a fire in this area in the last few months.
"The fire is partly in the same area as the one from two months ago, given the terrain is mostly peat, it can burn underground, which makes these kinds of fires difficult to contain," Inspector Devine said.
"Currently we have an aircraft with bucketing capacity on the way, it will help map the area and provide support to our ground crews."
While there is no immediate danger, anybody in the vicinity of Seale Rd and Belmore River, East of Kempsey is advised to stay up to date in case the situation changes.
Other active fires are in our shire:
The RFS have a small grass fire under control on 304 Old Station RD, Verges Creek.
