Six hundred hectares of the Broadwater National Park will be set alight today as part of a hazard reduction burn conducted by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and the NSW Rural Fire Service.
The authorities have warned that the reduction burn would be to the north west of Evans Head, and would be visible to residents of Evans Head, Woodburn, and Broadwater, as well as motorists traveling along the Pacific Highway.
The burn involves a long section of the Broadwater-Evans Head Road and there will be traffic control in place.
People are being urged to use the the Evans Head – Woodburn Road or the Pacific Highway instead.
‘It’s unlikely that the road would be closed at any point but if prevailing wind conditions puts heavy smoke over the road, this may occur for a short period,’ the RFS said in a statement.
‘It would help to minimise traffic passing firefighters working from the road. If you want to get a view of what happening, perhaps go to the lookout at Evans Head rather than adding to traffic and risk along that road.
Helicopters will be utilised during the hazard reduction, along with fire fighting resources from both NPWS and RFS
‘The planning that has been undertaken has been extensive and contingency plans are in place to deal with any unexpected issues,.
The authorities have warned that given the nature of the vegetation being burnt, a large smoke plume was likely.
‘There is no need to call 000 to report it. Weather will dictate the start time but it’s likely to be mid to late morning and then continuing through the rest of the day.
‘Winds at this time are forecast to be from the South which will minimise smoke impact to the nearest town of Evans Head. It is possible that overnight as any wind drops, smoke will be more prevalent.’
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