Bushfire season has officially started early for 74 local government areas in NSW.
The Rural Fire Service had already declared an early start to the bushfire danger season for areas on the Northern Rivers in August but last week added another 53 local government areas to the list.
Bushfire season doesn’t traditionally start until October but RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said predictions of continued drought as well as consultation with RFS volunteers, land managers and fire agencies had inspired an early start to fire bans and requirements for fire permits.
Commissioner Fitzsimmons said more than 2700 bush and grass fires had destroyed homes in New South Wales over the past two months.
As of September, the central coast, the mid coast, Newcastle, the Hawkesbury region, the Blue Mountains and the Northern Beaches were all on a list of 74 local government areas with earlier than usual fire bans.
Anyone wishing to light a fire during the Bush Fire Danger Period must seek a permit from their local Fire Control Centre.
Make your bush fire survival plan
Does your household have a well-thought-out bushfire survival plan?
Commissioner Fitzsimmons said recent research showed 67 per cent of people had some sort of action plan for what to do under threat of fire but plans were often simple and not well thought-through.
He said he wanted people to have conversations with their families about what they’ll do during a fire, including where they’ll go, what they’ll take and what they’ll do with animals.
Information on making a bush fire survival plan is available at myfire.com.au.
Local government areas added to the list of areas now in bushfire season are:
- Central Coast
- Lake Macquarie
- Bathurst Regional
- Blacktown City
- Blue Mountains City
- Camden
- Campbelltown City
- Canterbury Bankstown City
- Cessnock City
- Dungog Shire
- Eurobodalla
- Fairfield City
- Georges River
- Gunnedah Shire
- Gwydir Shire
- Hawkesbury City
- Hornsby Ku-ring-gai
- Hunters Hill
- Kempsey
- Kiama
- Lane Cove
- Lithgow
- Liverpool City
- Liverpool Plains Shire
- Maitland City
- Mid Coast
- Mid-Western Regional
- Moree Plains Shire
- Mosman
- Muswellbrook
- Nambucca
- Narrabri Shire
- Newcastle City
- North Sydney
- Northern Beaches
- Oberon
- Parramatta
- Penrith City
- Port Macquarie Hastings
- Port Stephens
- Ryde
- Shellharbour City
- Shoalhaven City
- Singleton Shire
- Snowy Monaro Regional
- Sutherland Shire
- Tamworth Regional
- The Hills Shire
- Upper Hunter Shire
- Willoughby
- Wingercarribee Shire
- Wollondilly Shire
- Wollongong City
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