A peat fire burning in Port Macquarie for 210 days has been declared completely out in the wake of the weekend deluge.

Key points: A fire burning near Port Macquarie Airport in NSW since July 2019 has been declared extinguished

A fire burning near Port Macquarie Airport in NSW since July 2019 has been declared extinguished About 400 hectares burnt was peat under the surface of the ground

About 400 hectares burnt was peat under the surface of the ground Local residents are expressing concerns over the affect of smoke inhalation during this time

The Lindfield Park Road fire near the Port Macquarie Airport, in New South Wales, started on July 18 and burned 400 hectares of peat under the surface — a significant amount given the total fire ground was 858 hectares.

Rural Fire Service district officer Stuart Robb said there was widespread relief the fire was finally out.

"Today we have finished final inspections and are happy to mark that fire as out, so very happy with that," he said.

"We've had just 260mm [of rain] fall over that fire ground, which has been sufficient to be the final part of that peat fire."

The Lindfield Park Bushfire began in 2019 and has burnt 858 hectares. ( Supplied: Rural Fire Service )

The situation presented a number of challenges for firefighters, including its close proximity to the airport and nearby built-up areas.

"The difficulty [in fighting the fire] was in the nature the material — being peat," Mr Robb said.

"Because the wetland was so dry, the peat was dry and easily ignited and then would burn underground."

In September, the Rural Fire Service (RFS) tried to tackle the fire by flooding it with reclaimed water.

The rehydration was a key component to the fire being extinguished, Mr Robb said.

"We have had 65 megalitres of water flow into the wetland, which brought the water levels up to a point where the surface water from the recent rains has been able to complete the extinguishing," he said.

Breathing sigh of relief

Bushfire smoke took its toll on Port Macquarie and many schools were closed on a number of days, sometimes at short notice because of the poor air quality.

Retired teacher Colleen Carmody now lives with ongoing respiratory issues due to the smoke.

Students were sent home from a number of schools across the Hastings area because of smoke. ( ABC Mid North Coast: Benjamin Shuhyta )

Since July, the peat fire had triggered coughing fits that left Ms Carmody unable to breathe or to sleep and led to her being hospitalised for five days.

"I couldn't lie down because I'd just cough, and I couldn't stop my cough and at night I had to sit up and I couldn't sleep properly," she said.

"I had to spend the first 24 hours on a trolley because there wasn't even a bed in the emergency — everyone was coming in with respiratory problems."

Colleen Carmody says she now needs to use a puffer daily even through she has no history of asthma. ( ABC Mid North Coast: Kirstie Wellauer )

Ms Carmody now has to use a Ventolin puffer even though she has no family history of asthma.

"My voice wasn't like this before; I could speak clearly and enunciate clearly before, but now I can't," she said.

"It's hard for me to talk. I feel as though I'm shouting."

Concerns for new baby

Smoke from the fire has been extremely concerning for Paola Borwell and her husband, who are expecting their first child.

"You're constantly worried and on alert, thinking [the smoke] is going to affect not only myself, but my baby," Ms Borwell said.

She said air purifiers were sold-out everywhere or too expensive, so the only way she could manage was to stay indoors.

"[We tried] things like air-conditioning and a dehumidifier and just trying to keep the smoke out [by] closing the windows and putting towels under doors and things," she said.

"There was a point where we actually considered going to Sydney for a while — I'm originally from there — but Sydney got just as bad."

Mother-to-be Paola Borwell has concerns for the health of her unborn baby. ( Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian )

Ms Borwell was surprised the health professionals she was seeing at the time did not seem to share her concerns.

"Being a naturopath myself, I have a little bit of background in the health industry," she said.

"I was told to avoid [the smoke] but when I asked about the health implications — I didn't just go to my GP, I also called the hospital — they didn't seem to be that concerned about it.

"I know it's a toxic substance [and] it's quite prominent everywhere [so] how is it not affecting my baby? I wasn't convinced."

She said specialists told her they would "have to wait and see" over the years whether the smoke had affected children.

Impacts of smoke to be considered in bushfire inquiry

Ms Borwell has welcomed an inquiry into the health impacts of poor air quality caused by bushfire smoke and drought.

The inquiry will evaluate the government response to recent hazardous air quality across NSW, including providing face masks and air purifiers and keeping the public informed.

The fire near Port Macquarie Airport was burning in wetland. ( Supplied: NSW RFS )

"The transparency wasn't good enough," she said.

"I had to do a lot of research on my own and in a time of crisis — that's probably not something that you should have to do.

"That information should be given to you [so] hopefully it will help things in the future."

The fire ground looks completely different now to months ago.

"We've got some regrowth, which is excellent, and a significant part of the wetland is under water so, very good news," Mr Robb said.