BUSHFIRE UPDATE 3PM WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20
The Gospers Mountain blaze is now 160,000 hectares in size ahead of Very High fire danger predicted for the Hawkesbury tomorrow (November 21).
At 2pm today (Wednesday) there were 50 bush and grass fires burning across NSW, with 24 yet to be contained, according to the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS).
"The Gospers Mountain fire is currently approximately 160 000 hectares in size and continues to burn in the Wollemi, Yengo National Parks and the Parr State Recreation Area," the RFS said in a statement issued at 3pm today.
"The fire is burning to the north of Colo Heights, south of Putty, east of Glen Davis and west of St Albans in the Lithgow, Hawkesbury and Singleton Local Government Areas.
"Firefighters continue to protect properties with the assistance of water bombing aircraft and earth moving equipment. Firefighters continue to undertake back burning operations in the areas of Central Macdonald up to St Albans, around Gorricks Run, Putty and surrounding areas.
"Further back burning will be implemented to protect communities as conditions allow. Residents in the area will notice an increase in fire and smoke during these times.
"Residents in the vicinity of ... Colo Heights, Upper Colo, Webbs Creek and St Albans (through to Higher MacDonald) should remain vigilant and know what they will do if fire conditions were to change.
"It is expected that the surrounding areas will experience smoke especially in the morning and late evenings over coming days, if not weeks as the fire continues to burn."
Firefighters and incident management team members along with NSW Police will hold a meeting from 8pm today at Colo Heights Rural Fire Brigade Station to keep affected communities informed of the fire situation and emergency arrangements.
The RFS has issued a Very High fire danger forecast for the Greater Sydney Region - of which Hawkesbury is a part - for tomorrow.
The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting a top of 38 degrees in Richmond with light winds becoming northerly 15 to 25 km/h in the morning then tending northeasterly 25 to 40 km/h in the early afternoon.
The RFS has advised St Albans Road will be closed from the Webbs Creek Ferry to St Albans, with locals able to access St Albans via Settlers Road.
Putty Road remains closed from the Colo river to Milbrodale due to ongoing operations in the area. Deliveries or vital/emergency supplies to properties or businesses in this area may be possible by pre-arrangement through the Hawkesbury Fire Control Centre on 4560 6400.
Bicentenary and Wheelbarrow Ridge Roads also remain closed due to ongoing operations in the area.
Colo Heights Public School, Macdonald Valley Public School, and Wisemans Ferry Public School remained closed today due to bushfire related conditions. To check which schools are closed, visit https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/school-safety
Stay up to date with the situation at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au or by calling the NSW RFS Bushfire Information Line on 1800 NSW RFS (1800 679 737) or via the Fires Near Me app.
Animal owners can contact the Local Land Services Hotline on 1800 814 647 if you need emergency assistance or the location of the large animal welfare centres.
For information on road conditions or closures, call the RMS on 132 213 or check www.livetraffic.com Roads may be closed without warning.
For information on closures of National Parks associated with this fire, please visit www.npws.nsw.gov.au
