Firefighters hope to contain 'horrendous' NSW fire

Updated

Firefighters are working to try and contain a fire burning out of control in a national park in north-western New South Wales that has already destroyed 33 homes.

The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) has a watch and act alert for the fire in the Warrumbungle National Park which has already burned 40,000 hectares west of Coonabarabran.

The fire is burning just one kilometre from the township of Bugaldie and is travelling in a northerly direction away from Timor Road and the Siding Spring Observatory, which was damaged on Sunday night.

Five outer buildings were damaged at the $80 million observatory, while the RFS says another 33 properties were destroyed in the Timor Road area.

It says the number of properties destroyed will likely rise as fire crews work through the area but it is a miracle no lives have been lost.

Overnight 80 fire crews worked to control the blaze and a further 18 aircraft were sent to the area to drop water and fire retardant.

RFS Inspector Brett Lachlan warns residents west of Warrumbungle Park they could also come under threat if crews fail to contain the fire's western flank.

"They have a lot of work to do, to try and take advantage of the overnight cooler conditions to do backburning," he said.

"We have a large number of fire trucks obviously at Bulgaldie, prepared for whatever might eventuate."

Most residents have been evacuated to Baradine and Coonabarabran.

An evacuation centre has been opened at Tattersalls Hotel in Wellington Street, Baradine, for affected residents.

Warrumbungle Shire Council Mayor Peter Shinton says the fire has had an horrific impact on the area.

"When we saw the massive cloud that went up yesterday afternoon we realised that all hell must have been letting loose underneath," he told ABC1's 7.30 on Monday.

"This morning after a reconnaissance trip around the fire perimeter the things that we've seen have been quite horrific.

We saw livestock dead and suffering in the paddocks, and they've all been fixed now. We also saw kangaroos in piles in the middle of the road. Warrumbungle Mayor Peter Shinton

"You know, from houses that have been totally destroyed, houses that haven't been destroyed, I mean everyone evacuated so it was up to the gods."

Cr Shinton says livestock and people's livelihoods have been destroyed.

"We saw livestock dead and suffering in the paddocks, and they've all been fixed now," he said.

"We also saw kangaroos in piles in the middle of the road, where they've come down the middle of the road and have just been baked alive because the fire was both sides.

"So it's horrendous, the scenery."

Meanwhile the Redbank fire burning along the Newell Highway near Coonabarabran has been downgraded to advice status.

The highway remains closed between Coonabrarabran and Narrabri as firefighters put in containment lines around the blaze.

Cool conditions and easing winds on Monday night have helped slow the spread of the fire, which is heading towards Timmallallee Road.

Firefighters say no properties are currently under threat.

Topics: bushfire, fires, disasters-and-accidents, emergency-incidents, bugaldie-2357, warrumbungle-2828, coonabarabran-2357, baradine-2396, nsw, australia

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