Home destroyed as grassfire burns through 647 hectares

A fire that burnt through more than 600 hectares and destroyed a man’s home between Christmas and new year is now out. The district’s Rural Fire Service volunteers rushed to a fire that sparked in long grass on a Cashmere Road property – about 14km east of town - on the afternoon of 29 December. Crews attacked the fire both on ground and from the air through that afternoon to contain the fire, with residents of Cashmere Road and Rosebank Lane placed on alert as it spread particularly to the north and west. Their work continued through the night and following days. The fire burnt through 647 hectares of grassland and cropping country, mostly on the afternoon of 29 December. Lachlan Allan, the NSW RFS Mid Lachlan Valley Team district coordinator, said the fire’s rapid spread that afternoon showed just how dry conditions are and how quickly fire can move through grassland. “It’s not overly timbered where the fire was – there’s patches of timber – but it’s mainly grassland and cropping country,” he said. “But the fire started in long grass and it was hard to control there for quite a while.” Firefighters had to tackle two fire fronts for a time that afternoon: the hills in and near the fire ground meant the winds caused some different fire behaviour, so even though conditions weren’t particularly windy there was enough wind for the fire to spread. “We’re very happy at the work that was done to contain it with the crews we had,” Mr Allan said, “especially given it was over the Christmas/new year period and a lot of brigades were very light on.” RFS volunteers came from across the Parkes Shire and Mid Lachlan Valley district, as well as the neighbouring Canobolas zone with crews from Orange, Cabonne, Blayney and Cowra local government areas. This was invaluable in the days that followed when work to mop up and monitor for hot spots was absolutely critical. “The crews did a really good job of getting ahead of it, local crews who know what they’re doing backed up by aviation assets from the RFS,” Mr Allan said. Rural Fire Service volunteers from Mid Lachlan Valley and neighbouring Canobolas zone brigades converged on the Bindogundra area about 14km east of Parkes to contain the blaze. The large air tanker was assigned to the fire, dropping retardant to help slow the progression of the fire towards properties as well as more timbered country on the north and north eastern side of the fire. Fixed wing aircraft and helicopter helped with the direct attack on the fire, allowing crews to come in at a ground level to work to extinguish the fire. With dam water in short supply after a dry year, crews also had the support of bulk water carriers and council so they didn’t have to travel back to town to refill. A small re-ignition occurred on Saturday morning among fallen trees, ahead of 40-degree temperatures and strong winds that day. Once extinguished firefighters remained on the fireground to monitor the conditions throughout the day. The Rural Fire Service is continuing to monitor conditions and weather predictions, and urging continued vigilance from the community as dry conditions continue. If a fire starts, call 000 (triple zero) as soon as possible. The NSW RFS also encourages people to make a bush fire survival plan, they have online resources to help: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/resources/bush-fire-survival-plan GO FUND ME LAUNCHED The Cashmere Road fire destroyed a man’s home, and locals have launched a Go Fund Me page to help with his immediate costs. The team at the Broadway Hotel said all funds raised would help with clothing, food and accommodation as well as provide a start toward the longer-term costs. You can go online to help at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/donate-to-help-the-animal-who-lost-everything-in-the-fire?attribution_id=sl:f2c76f38-cdd7-438d-8ff9-b5cb2ac2ed27&lang=en_AU&ts=1767323799&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=native_options