The latest Section 44 declaration for the Mid Coast area will be revoked on Tuesday night (January 21).
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This means the localised bushfire state of emergency, which has been in place for the past 88 days, was removed by NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons. However, fire permits will remain suspended. This will be reviewed by the RFS following the Australia Day long weekend.
Much needed rainfall in the Mid Coast area this past week has been welcome news to firefighters. Nine fires remain active in the district and are listed as patrol status.
The past six months has seen significant fire activity in the Mid Coast and Port Macquarie-Hastings areas. The first fire was reported at Port Macquarie's Lindfield Park in July 2019. Since October 26, there has been 3124 incident calls or an average of 35 per day.
At the height of the bushfire emergency, there were more than 500 firefighters and 200 fire trucks from NSW RFS, Fire and Rescue NSW, Forestry Corporation and National Parks and Wildlife Service on the ground. They were supported by 22 aircraft and 125 heavy plant.
During this period, 26 emergency warnings were issued to communities in the Mid Coast.
The Mid Coast district was ably supported by firefighters from Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria, ACT, New Zealand and Canada.
