Mountains residents can expect more smoky days as the autumn hazard reduction season continues.
Several burns were held last week - with a large one focused near Bulls Camp in Woodford. Another burn, causing much of the smoke, started at Linden Creek on Saturday with about 1,000 hectares set to burn. Visibility issues were expected on the Great Western Highway. Two further burns were expected to start on Monday (at Little Crater and Diggers Creek) in Blue Mountains National Park.
People with asthma, or those susceptible to respiratory problems, are advised to keep clear of the area or stay indoors. All park and trail closures will be listed on the National Parks and Wildlife Service Alerts website.
The Linden Creek burn is one of 12 hazard reductions the NPWS has planned in the Blue Mountains National Park this autumn. For more details on hazard reductions check the Rural Fire Service "Fires near me" app.
A burn of some 1547 acres started at Woodford on Tuesday April 27. The Coolana hazard reduction is being managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
And a second smaller hazard reduction took place near Bulls Camp, north of Woodford and east of Linden. That hazard reduction was 368 acres and was managed by the Rural Fire Service over three days last week.
A spokesman for the Blue Mountains Bush Fire Management Committee (BMBFMC) said crews from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), NSW Rural Fire Service and Fire & Rescue NSW (FRNSW) had undertaken the burns.
If there is a hazard reduction burn planned for your area, the advice is to take the following steps:
- Keep doors and windows closed to prevent smoke entering homes
- Keep outdoor furniture under cover to prevent ember burns
- Retract pool covers to prevent ember damage
- Remove washing from clotheslines
- Ensure pets have a protected area
- Vehicles must slow down, keep windows up, turn headlights on
- Sightseers must keep away from burns for their own safety
- If you have asthma or a lung condition, reduce outdoor activities if smoke levels are high and if shortness of breath or coughing develops, take your reliever medicine or seek medical advice
For health information relating to smoke from bushfires and hazard reduction burning, visit the NSW Health website or the Asthma Foundation.
