There was a collective sigh of relief last night (Thursday) as the rain brought some welcome moisture to the fire grounds in Darkwood and also up at Mt Hyland.

In Darkwood about 30mm fell with Thora 26mm and Gleniffer 28mm. Crystal Creek topped the gauges with 42mm. Up on the plateau Dorrigo Mt had 29 mm and Dorrigo 14mm. Point Lookout, west of Ebor received a 7mm sprinkle.

The forecast is for the showers to continue today with temperatures staying in the low to mid 20s.

Tomorrow there is the chance of more storms, especially in the afternoon and evening. Light winds are forecast to be light east to northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h. Daytime temperatures reaching 30 degrees. Temperatures will begin to rise again next week.

RFS public liaison officer, Superintendent Tim Carroll, said the rain had seen the fire activity drop significantly, although smoke was still rising from burning logs and trunks.

"There have been reports of good falls across much of hte area but it has not been enough to put the fire out," Supt. Carroll said.

"There is still fire burning under logs, under rock ledges and in roots underground - the danger is not over yet and we will need a lot more rain to actually put this fire out."

The change in the weather has however meant that there is no backburning taking place and crews have been stood down to rest and resume their normal lives (many will be back at work today).

"We will continue to monitor the fire grounds very closely and keep checking on the conditions. When the days warm up again, the level of dryness is such that the fire activity will return. We are advising people to continue to monitor what is happening because things can change rapidly."

Regarding the planned 40km backburn to reduce fuel loads ahead of the fire front, Supt. Carroll said everything was being reassessed constantly; "We prefer not to backburn if it is possible."

Chance to check in with the community on Saturday

Desalination plant is short term measure to keep water flowing