A local farmer is counting the cost of a fire which destroyed a shed and an estimated $180,000 in hay on his property in the early hours of Friday morning.
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Superintendent Ken Neville said Forbes Central and Bundaburrah Brigade received a call to the fire at 2.50am on Friday after a motorist travelling on the Newell Highway reported seeing a scrub fire.
Supt Neville said when the brigades attended they found the fire was actually a shed fire.
The brigades have been patrolling the area since to ensure it is burnt out.
A cause for the fire is yet to be determined but Supt Neville suggested it may have been spontaneous combustion.
Lightning Strikes
After being kept busy by blazes started from lightning strikes last week, the Rural Fire Service is urging people to avoid activities that could start a fire during the current hot weather.
Crews across the region have been on high alert to respond quickly to spot fires caused by widespread lightning strikes and were also concerned with the mercury rising over 35 degrees on Friday.
Initial forecasts by the Bureau of Meteorology for a hot weekend have been revised, with most towns not expected to top 35 degrees on Saturday and even cooler temperatures on Sunday. However the heatwave will return at the end of next week.
RFS Western zone manage Paul Smith said the biggest threat would come from people who tried activities like slashing, grinding, welding near dry grass, where a stray spark could cause havoc.
“We aren’t expecting conditions to be too bad because there aren’t strong winds forecast, it is still quite humid, and some places have had a bit of rain,” he said.
“However the hot weather is drying everything out and a spark from machinery or tools could start a fire that could spread quite easily.
“So we are asking people to be aware of that and act accordingly.”
Mr Smith said there had been no significant blazes come from the lightning activity but there had been dozens of small fires across the region, mostly in trees, that had kept crews busy.
In a bid to spot any fires early, the RFS was using reconnaissance aircraft during the week, especially in heavily timbered areas.
“We covered a big region, from Boorowa and around Wyangala Dam, up to Mudgee and the Goonoo Forest and back down to the Lachlan Valley, Parkes and Forbes,” Mr Smith said.
“There is a spotter in the aircraft who is in constant radio contact so if they see any signs a crew can be sent out to deal with the fire as quick as possible,” he said.
