The conditions that caused Thursday’s fire at Lovedale to spread so rapidly are an ominous sign of things to come, the Rural Fire Service says.
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Emergency services received a call about 1.30pm about bush alight around Lovedale Road and Majors Lane.
“With the heat and the dry conditions, it took off quite quickly,” NSW RFS Deputy Fire Control Officer Inspector Martin Siemsen said.
Properties on and around Mears Lane and Native Dog Hill Road were threatened, before the 40 degree conditions helped the fire split in two and charge towards Brickmans Lane and Lodge Road in the evening.
Four aircraft and more than 100 firefighters from the RFS, Fire and Rescue and National Parks and Wildlife battled the blaze before the threat to properties was downgraded about 7.45pm.
On Friday, the inferno had torn through about 270 hectares of land, with crews working to have it contained by Friday evening. Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the fire.
Inspector Siemsen said while the Fires Near Me app showed multiple fires around the Lower Hunter on Thursday, there was only one major blaze, but multiple smoke sightings.
The fire will be closely monitored for a few days due to parched ground fuel and more hot weather on the way.
Inspector Siemsen said weather forecasts pointed towards heightened fire conditions for the rest of the year.
“The region is continuing to suffer from a lack of rainfall in winter,” Inspector Siemsen said. “The puts us in a position to have some challenges.
“Because the fuels are so dry, you only need a particularly high temperature for things to become quite dangerous.
“The indicators are that we are going to have elevated fire danger up until at least the new year.”
Inspector Siemsen said that was a good warning for people to stay up to date with fires in their area, especially when travelling over Christmas.
“People need to understand the bushfire warnings so they understand the action we ask them to take,” he said.
Inspector Siemsen said a decision would be made by the Lower Hunter Fire Control on Monday whether or not to suspend fire permits.
However he urged people with permits not to burn at all unless they absolutely had to.
To keep up to date with fires visit the RFS website or the Fires Near Me app.
Sage Swinton
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
