Dunn’s Road Bush Fires Update on Saturday January 18, 2020
Riverina area got some heavy rain showers on Thursday evening, and again on Friday late afternoon. These rain downfalls lasted about 15 to 20 minutes per day.
The only sizeable active fire area in the Tumut Riverina area is the Bogong Peaks Wilderness area, East of Talbingo, and South of Goobarragandra.
There is a significant effort on the field clearing and keeping the containment lines North and East of the Bogong Wilderness bush fire. Long Plains road northwards to the Broken cart Road.
Here is a list of equipment and personnel attending the containment lines.
- 115 heavy plant still out in the field
- 28 fire trucks from NSW Rural Fire Service
- 9 Fire trucks form Fire and Rescue NSW
- 18 Fire trucks from National parks
- 43 Fire trucks from Forestry NSW
- 2 Fire trucks from ACT Rural Fire Service
- 8 Aircraft with the Rural Fire Service
- 1 Aircraft form Forestry NSW
Personnel:
- 60 from NSW Rural Fire Service
- 36 from National Parks
- 86 from Forestry NSW
- 40 + from Fire and Rescue NSW
Tumut and Adelong Times published the following information on how the Rural fire service is getting the upper hand on the previous weeks’ extreme fire conditions.
Riverina Highlands RFS District Coordinator Perter Jones says the majority of the Duinn’s Road fire edge has been quelled, except for the eastern edge south of Goobarragandra in the Kosciuszko National Park extending as far as Long Plain.
The property losses from the Dunn’s Road bush fires that started late December 2019 are as follows:
- 139 houses
- 38 facilities
- 354 outbuildings
37 homes and 138 outbuildings destroyed were in Batlow.
- 4 dwellings at Laurel Hill
- 7 homes in Tumbarumba
- 6 homes in Talbingo
- 4 homes in Kunama
- 4 homes in Wondalga
- 2 homes on Courabyra.
However, only 60 % of the area has been accessed according to the Tumut and Adelong Times.
The more refreshing weather change, with rain showers, has slowed down the out of control bush fires, more rain also forecast for Monday 20 January 2020.
There has been a lot of helicopters activity by observation on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19, flying back and forth to the end of the Goobarragandara valley area and also to the Tumburumba fires region. Apparently, the water carrying helicopters are making the most of the more refreshing change to stop the fires from spreading further. With sufficient rainfall in the following few days, the out of control Dunn’s Road bush fires may be quenched and stopped altogether after starting some 23 days ago near the Adelong region.
Snowy 2.0 at Lob’s Hole
Dunn’s Road bush fire spread out to 330,000 hectares so far and affected the Snowy mountain Highway between Talbingo and Adaminaby along with the Kosciuszko National park.
Snowy 2.0 was also affected at the Lob’s hole area, 90% of the heavy plant was intact. Very little damage from the bush fire done to the machinery. Only a few site sheds and ancillary equipment were lost to the fire. Snowy Hydro is working with the National Parks on getting safe access to the Snowy 2.0 project site. Large partially burned, and often hollowed out eucalyptus trees along the roadsides seem to be a common problem with out of control bush fire cleanups.
Snowy 2.0 Project Director Kieran Cusack has confirmed that the Snowy 2.0 Project should be back to normal, with all systems go and full steam ahead after January 20, 2020.
Staff accommodation close to the Snowy 2.0 Project as possible, available facilities at Adaminaby and Talbingo are currently being used. According to the Tumut and Adelong Times article, Mr. Cusack said that in the future, more camp-style accommodation closer to the project is needed.
“Going forward, that will not suffice for the project in terms of the numbers that we ramp up to, so we’re working with the regulatory authorities to get approval for some camp type facilities both back in Cabramurra and potentially some in Adaminaby,.”