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UPDATE: A fire near Wootton was raging and Forster’s Barclays Marine narrowly avoided being burnt down, leaving firefighting crews this week taking stock of a weekend full of flames and smoke.
On Sunday up to 120 Rural Fire Service (RFS) crews were deployed to fight fires across the region, including communication and catering volunteers and the crews from 39 brigades linked to the local area command.
“They came from all over the district,” said the RFS’ Gloucester-Great Lakes Superintendent Jim Blackmore.
By Monday there were still 20 fires burning between the Great Lakes and the Clarence Valley.
Up to 60 hectares were burnt near Wootton after a fire took off on Friday.
“We’re still investigating how it started. At the moment it’s burning to our containment lines,” he said on Monday, citing the situation as under control.
On Monday on the RFS’ Fires Near Me website, another under control fire was listed on 12 hectares of bushland at Candoormakh Creek Road near Nabiac.
Forster’s NSW Fire and Rescue crews were still keeping an eye perimeter of a fire which threatened Graham Barclay Marine on The Lakes Way on Sunday.
Approximately five hectares were burnt to a crisp after the flames took off from near the water behind the Lakeside Tavern, fanned by winds reaching up to 30 knots.
“It spread quickly due to the strong north-west wind,” firefighter Steve Howard said.
“Barclays was under immediate threat due to spot fires,” he said, adding flames were licking at the back fence and the roof.
“We had a lot of water flying around.”
He added that the fire was so big crews were unable to stop it and prioritised protecting buildings instead.
“Once it was past Barclays, houses on the other side of the road were under threat.”
Evacuations were not deemed necessary due to the presence of the road in between, so six firefighting crews and residents were able to work together to save property from any embers until the fire burnt itself out.
“We were lucky to get a wind change in our favour, so we were able to consolidate the perimeter lines,” he said, adding properties on Kenrose Place would have otherwise been also under threat.
He said with the fire out they were not worried about what was going on in the middle of the burnt zone, but were monitoring what was going on around its edges.
“People see smoke and worry, but it’s just logs and trees smouldering.”
NSW Police were onsite on Monday investigating the cause of the fire.
The RFS’ Superintendent Blackmore urged residents to have their properties prepared for increasingly dry conditions and have a bushfire survival plan prepared.
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The fires from Port Stephens up caused traffic havoc with the intermittent closure of the Pacific Highway between Twelve Mile Creek (west of Karuah) and Bulahdelah as well as at Wootton. All lanes were reopened by 3.30pm on Monday after repairs took place following the bushfires.
The Bucketts Way remained closed between Limeburners Creek Road and the Pacific Highway.
THERE are a number of fires blazing across the Great Lakes.
The fires are listed as ‘out of control’ on the Rural Fire Service website www.rfs.nsw.gov.au
The fires are at Churchill Rd, Forster; two blazes along The Lakes Way, Forster; and another at Point Rd, Tuncurry.
At 2.30 the NSW Rural Fire Service tweeted:
Fires impact highway travel:
2pm: The Pacific Highway is closed in both directions between Twelve Mile Creek (west of Karuah) and Buhladelah.
With motorists attempting to travel south on the highway there is now heavy traffic in the Buhladelah area and the town is reaching capacity.
Motorists travelling south are advised to delay all non essential travel or to divert via the Oxley Highway at Port Macquarie and then use the New England Highway. Northbound motorists should divert onto the New England Highway at Beresfield.
The Bucketts Way is also closed between Limeburners Creek Road and the Pacific Highway and motorists should avoid the area.
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