The ACT Rural Fire Service firefighters at the Canberra Airport this morning. They will replace the returning team that has been assisting the NSW Rural Fire Service. Photo: ACT Emergency Services.
The rotation of firefighters from the ACT to assist their colleagues fighting bushfires in NSW and Queensland continues, with a team of 12 on a flight out of Canberra this morning.
The ACT Rural Fire Service firefighters will replace the team that left last week to assist the NSW Rural Fire Service in their firefighting efforts.
Including today’s deployment, 61 firefighters from the ACT have been sent to support other jurisdictions.
This is the fourth deployment of ACT firefighters sent to battle fires burning across NSW and QLD.
In NSW, there are more than 40 bush or grass fires burning, with 13 listed as uncontained. The focus for ACT firefighters will be on a fire in the Tenterfield area, in the New England region of the state.
In Queensland, ACT firefighters will take aim at fires in the Tamborine and Canungra areas which flank the Gold Coast hinterland. ACT firefighters will also head further north to the Mt Archer fire in Rockhampton.
Other crews are still focused on a large bushfire which has been burning for more than a week at Sarabah on the Gold Coast.
Despite an easing in conditions thanks to rain and storms, there is still a real danger from lightning strikes, which could set tinder-dry grazing land alight and create new spot fires.
Extra fire crews have been sent into the Darling Downs and Granite Belt, which is still reeling from bushfires that burned through farmland last week.
The ACT crews will be working on the NSW fires for three days with a travel day either side.
Other crews will return home this afternoon and tomorrow.
An ACT Emergency Services spokesperson said the deployed firefighters will not impact on fire protection for the ACT.
The fire-danger rating in Canberra for the rest of the week remains at low to moderate, the lowest rating on the scale.
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