JIM Howes is keeping a close eye to the west as a fire continues burning uncontained in the Budawang National Park about 35km west of Ulladulla.
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While the fire is progressing slowly, hampered by weather conditions more mild than originally forecast, it has spread to burn out about 4000 hectares of bush.
While the Rural Fire Service has been water bombing the fire and using fixed wing aircraft to lay fire retardant, officials concede the fire will probably continue burning in rugged and inaccessible terrain until heavy rain hits the region.
However Mr Howes, a self-confessed “old bushie”, remembers of similar circumstances many years ago when a fire in almost the same location smouldered along for a couple of weeks in October, 1968.
The a strong, hot and dry westerly wind got behind the fire and it erupted, moving at a rapid pace to reach the beach just south of Ulladulla within 24 hours.
“It jumped Burrill Lake as though it wasn’t there,” Mr Howes recalled.
“It was a pretty vicious fire.”
In the process it destroyed three houses at Burrill Lake, and even melted the bitumen on the Prince s Highway near Wheelbarrow Road, according to Mr Howes.
“It didn’t stop until it hit the sea.
“They were even getting smoke from it in New Zealand,” he recalled.
At the time the area had a much smaller population, and Mr Howes said a similar fire today would burn out half of Burrill Lake.
And he feared the blaze burning in remote country Wirritin area could develop into something similar to the disastrous 1968 blaze.
“You get a hot westerly behind it and it will be in town before you know it,” Mr Howes said.
Ulladulla was ill equipped to cope with fires, he said, because much of the area had not been burnt since 1968, while he identified other gullies close to town that had not been burnt since the 1930s, and were carrying high fuel loads.
“If you get fire in some of these areas it will be a disaster,” said the resident of more than 70 years.
However the fire threat has eased since the Wirritin blaze erupted a week ago, and spread quickly in the difficult terrain.
Predictions of hot weather, low humidity and gusty winds in recent days have not eventuated, with milder weather and rain forecast for the next few days.
Last week, however, things looked more ominous as smoke from the Wirritin fire and a blaze just west of Wandandian shrouded much of the region.
While the Wirritin blaze began with a lighting strike, Rural Fire Service officials believe the fire near Wandandian was a case of arson.
Shoalhaven RFS Controller, Superintendent Mark Williams, said the fire near Hancock Creek was “suspiciously lit” by the side of a dirt road on Thursday evening.
“This fire, and a subsequent smaller fire close by later in the evening are being treated as arson and investigated accordingly,” Superintendent Williams said.
“We have a few leads on this and are requesting that anyone with any information contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Information can be given in confidence.”
The Wandandian fire was extinguished over the weekend, with crews continuing to patrol the perimeter in case of any flare-up.
The Wirrtin fire continues to be attacked on a number of front.
While water bombing is continuing and fire retardant is being put in the fire’s path, bulldozers have been sent in to create containment lines and strengthen paths to and from the region.
Containment lines and retardant sprays have also been making use of wet gullies and creeks that naturally slow the fire’s progress.
In fact on the western side the fire has been stopped by the Belowra Creek.
However the possibility of a flare-up remains, and a total fire ban continues to be enforced for the region.