Firefighters have shifted focus to control rather than contain the fire at Bridge Hill as authorities warned people to stay away from the exclusion zone.
Members of the public this afternoon were removed from the fringes of the exclusion zone around the fire at Cave Stream with the police’s help, incident commander Colin Russell said.
All recreation areas between Castle Hill and Lake Pearson are closed.
“This is for the safety of everyone, both the public and our people,” Russell said.
“We don’t want to be having to rescue anyone if they find themselves in a dangerous situation.
“If everyone can please just avoid this general area near the fire it will keep everyone safe.”
The fire has scorched nearly 1000 hectares, with authorities warning there’s a risk of breakout fires. (Source: 1News)
The incident commander said focus had shifted from containment to control of the fire as it wasn’t feasible to establish containment lines right around the perimeter of the fire because of the terrain.
“The safety of our people and the public is the highest priority, and it is not safe to put in containment lines fully around the fire.
“We are working to control the activity of the fire, which means suppressing hotspots and flareups, and keeping it in the same place as much as possible.”
Russell said there had been 110 personnel on the fire ground today, along with three diggers, four helicopters working on fire suppression, and a fifth managing the air operations.
He also said drivers on State Highway 73 would continue to experience short delays and speed restrictions in the Castle Hill area tomorrow due to a large number of trucks and tankers working in the area. Helicopters were also operating close to the road in places.
From 8am until around 8pm the area will be under traffic management, with single lane access and escorted convoys led by a pilot vehicle. Overnight there will be two-way traffic but with a 50km/h speed restriction.
