Bushfire at Burrinjuck Nature Reserve ‘contained’

AUSTRALIA –

Tuesday, 5pm

The bushfire at Burrinjuck Nature Reserve, near Bookham in the Yass Valley has been declared as ‘contained’ after three solid days of firefighting.

“We’ve had a very good day today,” NSW RFS operational officer for the Southern Tablelands Zone, Daniel Osborne said. “The Remote Area Firefighting Team from the National Parks and Wildlife Service has done a tremendous job and put in some really hard yards to extinguish as many hot spots as possible.”

The National Parks firefighters will return tomorrow to patrol the fire ground and will work with the NSW Rural Fire Service to assess if any further resources will be needed going forward.

“The fire is an early warning to residents that bushfire season is here and if people aren’t prepared then they really need to consider their survival plan,” Mr Osborne said.

Tuesday, 10.30am

The four firefighters from the National Parks and Wildlife Service returned to Burrinjuck Nature Reserve at 9am this morning to continue to try and control the fire.

They fought the fire until around 7.30pm last night.

“The weather conditions are a lot better today, which we hope will work in our favour,” NSW RFS operational officer for the Southern Tablelands Zone, Daniel Osborne said.

The firefighters hope to put most of the hot spots out today ahead of temperatures rising to over 30 degrees Celsius at the end of this week, Mr Osborne said.

“The only concern – and it’s a small concern – is that there are still some hot spots on the perimeter of the fire, so we want to deal with those first to make sure they’re safe,” he said.

The status of the fire is still ‘being controlled’.

Monday, 5pm

Firefighters from the National Parks and Wildlife Service are continuing to try and control the fire at Burrinjuck Nature Reserve, near Bookham in the Yass Valley.

Not much has changed to the fire’s condition since last reported today, NSW RFS operational officer for the Southern Tablelands Zone, Daniel Osborne said.

A helicopter helped to fight the fire with buckets of water for most of the day, however, the air assistance had to leave around 4pm due to gusty winds.

The six National Parks firefighters remain on the ground, fighting the edges and hot spots of the fire.

It’s anticipated that the firefighters will return again tomorrow to continue to control the fire, Mr Osborne said.

Monday, 10am

The Remote Area Firefighting Team (RAFT) and firefighters from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service continued to work on the fire until about 10.30pm last night.

“The crews made some very good progress last night, working on the fire’s edge,” NSW RFS operational officer for the Southern Tablelands Zone, Daniel Osborne said.

The six firefighters with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service have returned this morning with a helicopter to assist with identifying hot spots and buckets of water if required.

“The fire hasn’t moved, the status is ‘being controlled’ and it’s likely that later on today the fire will be declared as contained,” Mr Osborne said.

“Given the location of the fire, it’s been handed over by NSW RFS to National Parks and we are supporting them with everything they need.”

“The work done yesterday gave us the upper hand and the crews should be thanked.”

Sunday, 7.30pm

Fire fighters continue to tackle a bush fire at Burrinjuck Nature Reserve, near Bookham in the Yass Valley. The fire is now estimated to be three hectares in size and is not under control.

A helicopter has been fighting the fire with buckets of water for the past hour and has reported some success in slowing the fire. The helicopter has now departed to Canberra due to fading light, NSW RFS operational officer for the Southern Tablelands Zone, Daniel Osborne said.

The Remote Area Firefighting Team (RAFT) from Yass is now able to access the fire, about 400 metres from a fire track, down steep terrain.

RAFT will begin attacking the edges of the fire for as long as it is safe to do so this evening and return in the morning with six additional firefighters, dispatched by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to the scene, from Queanbeyan.

Advice to members of the public remains the same as given in the update below: there is no current threat to life or property and local residents are advised to monitor the Fires Near Me app.

The NSW Rural Fire Service is currently attending a bush fire at Burrinjuck Nature Reserve, near Bookham in the Yass Valley.

The fire was first reported around 5.30pm, Sunday, December 2.

The fire is thought to be about one to two acres in size, although an exact size is unknown at this stage as fire fighters are unable to get to it.

Members of the public might be able to see or smell the smoke, however, there is no current threat to life or property.

Daniel Osborne.