NSW fires: Uarbry all but wiped out as firefighters continue to battle blazes

Updated

Most of the small community of Uarbry has been wiped out by a bushfire burning near Dunedoo, residents say, as the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) continues to battle blazes across the state.

Residents told the ABC nine of the 12 homes in the community were destroyed when the Sir Ivan fire bore down on them yesterday, some of them belonging to volunteer firefighters.

Paul Devonian was supplying bulk water to fire crews on the ground and said the conditions were the worst he had seen in 25 years of fighting fires.

"You couldn't walk forward, it'd near blow you backwards, the wind," he said.

Cassilis farmer Tony Hegarty said news of property losses near Uarbry was starting to filter through.

He said there were also reports of extensive stock losses.

"I think dealing with the dead stock or the damaged stock is in the first instance is the real heartache," Mr Hegarty said.

"I remember a farmer who got burnt out many years ago, he just said it took 10 years for the business to recover. That's the sort of issue we'll be dealing with I guess".

The RFS will send an expert team into fire-ravaged areas today to help determine property and livestock losses.

It has also received reports that three and possibly four homes have been destroyed in a fire that is burning west of Port Macquarie on the NSW mid-north coast.

That grassfire, which has so far burnt through 700 hectares, is burning out of control in Pappinbarra.

RFS spokesman Cam Baker said crews were heading to the area to determine the extent of the damage.

"Building impact analysis crews will be moving into those areas this morning to assess any property damage," Mr Baker said.

"[It is] certainly a very devastating and emotional time for all of those people in that Pappinbarra road area."

Lachlan Ison from the Kempsey Nambucca RFS said one home was believed to have been lost in the Dondingalong fire, also on the state's mid-north coast.

"Our team has just left the control centre here now to verify that but that's what the report suggests and we've also got our fire investigation team going out to the fire ground this morning as well," he said.

"The weather change finally did come through there late last night and created an environment for firefighters to get on top of it so there is no significant running fire now, no significant threat to assets in that area, but still the fire edge is uncontained."

Two firefighters seriously injured

NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said two firefighters had been hospitalised for injuries received fighting Sunday's fires.

Sorry, this video has expired Video: Fires started in the catastrophic conditions on the weekend continue to burn around the state (ABC News)

One of those was injured fighting a Boggabri fire and suffered serious burns to his hands, arms and face.

He will be flown from Tamworth Hospital to a Sydney hospital for specialist treatment.

Commissioner Fitzsimmons said he spoke to the firefighter by phone and he was in good spirits, but faced months of treatment and recovery.

He said the other firefighter was injured near Mudgee and had a severe hand laceration which required surgery overnight.

The Commissioner praised the thousands of firefighters involved and said it was "remarkable" that no lives had been lost.

The RFS said there were still dozens of bush or grassfires burning across the state, with more than 20 of them yet to be contained.

Easing conditions overnight have seen the worst blazes at Dunedoo and Kains Flat in the NSW central west downgraded from emergency to watch and act status.

A new fire broke out this morning in the Yellowbox Road area at Manildra, west of Orange, which has been listed by the RFS as "out of control".

It was at Watch and Act status but has been downgraded to Advice.

Sorry, this video has expired Video: Fast and ferocious fires cause NSW residents to flee (ABC News)

Relief on the way, BOM says

Firefighters are expected to get some relief today, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting a cool change for much of the state.

Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) senior forecaster Neil Fraser said temperatures would be much lower.

"The good news is the next few days will see much milder temperatures across the bulk of New South Wales," he said.

"We'll see some high temperatures coming back to the west on Wednesday and Thursday."

The NSW RFS issued emergency warnings for several blazes yesterday as soaring temperatures prompted authorities to describe conditions as "the worst ever" experienced in the state.

Record heat fanned the flames

Several NSW towns recorded new record temperatures on Sunday.

The mercury in Walgett, near the Queensland boarder, reached 47.9 degrees Celsius yesterday while Taree (45.7C), Port Macquarie (46.5C) and Kempsey (46.4) also set new benchmarks.

Firefighters were not helped by firebugs, authorities said.

A man, 40, was charged after allegedly lighting a bushfire at Mangrove Creek, on the Central Coast today. He was refused bail.

Further north, a 32-year-old man was arrested and charged with deliberately starting two bushfires at the Dargavilles Road area at Nabiac.

Witnesses told police they had allegedly seen the man lighting the fire before he drove off.

NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons addressed reports of arson throughout the state and said deliberately lighting fires was a "heinous act".

"How dare they, how dare you. It's a criminal act, it's a dangerous act," he said.

"You put the lives at risk of our firefighters, the vast majority of whom are out there doing it for free, simply to make a difference and protect their local community."

Topics: fires, disasters-and-accidents, emergency-incidents, crime, police, nsw, boggabri-2382, coffs-harbour-2450, dunedoo-2844, leadville-2844, south-kempsey-2440, mudgee-2850, dubbo-2830, beechwood-2446, tamworth-2340, gunnedah-2380, port-macquarie-2444

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