The Rural Fire Service (RFS) has completed a preliminary investigation into 26 illegal fires in the Kempsey and Nambucca local government areas (LGAs).
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Lower North Coast Incident Controller Supt Liz Ferris, said that over the month of August a number of fires were reported where safe burning practices were "not being adhered to".
The sheer number and frequency of those fires meant investigators and penalty notice officers were brought in.
The outcomes of their preliminary investigation are as follows:
- Between 2nd August 2023 and 31st August 2023 there were initially 26 fires identified as requiring Fire Investigation.
- There were a total of 11 escaped fires, with 8 fires escaping landowners control and 3 escaping the landowner's property boundary.
- Upon further enquiries Fire Investigators carried out a total of 21 investigations.
- Penalty Notice Officers have carried out a total of 18 investigations for fires deemed "illegal", followed by 15 landowner interviews conducted.
- As a result, 3 investigations have been referred to NSW Police and 3 are to be issued with infringement notices.
The Fire Investigators and Penalty Notice Officers reported that for the most part landowners were "very welcoming and apologetic".
They said a common statement was to the effect of: "We just didn't realise how dry the landscape was".
There are few current fires in the Kempsey LGA, which is under a Moderate Fire Danger rating unless temperatures and winds rise.
The Trappo Gap fire in the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, which required aerial and multi-agency ground support, is now at "patrol" status.
A couple of hotspots within containment lines will continue to be monitored by aircraft.
Three firefighting choppers are currently based at Kempsey Airport as a result of the region being under a "Section 44". This gives local RFS crews access to more resources.
Tuesday, September 5, saw the first High Fire Danger rating for the reason. Permits were suspended, however six new grassfires and bushfires were reported.
Supt Ferris said people need to be more aware of permit conditions and to understand that bushfire "preparation is a shared responsibility".
"This means doing simple things like creating firebreaks on your property, cleaning your gutters, removing combustibles from your yard, ensuring hoses can reach all corners of your property and updating and discussing your bush fire survival plan, so you know what you will do if fire threatens."
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