Fire crews race to contain Blue Mountains, NSW fires before Tuesday

November 19, 2006

Fire crews in the Australian state of New South Wales are racing to contain two fires burning out of control in the Blue Mountains West of Sydney before an expected worsening of conditions on Tuesday.

The fires which have been burning in the Mount Victoria and Blackheath since last Sunday have burnt around 2500 hectares of bushland. So far no homes have been under direct threat.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has forecast strong North-Westerly winds in the area on Tuesday. These winds could fan the fire directly into the towns of Mount Victoria and Blackheath.

In an attempt to contain the fires, fire personnel from the NSW Fire Brigade, Rural Fire Service and the National Parks and Wildlife Service have been undertaking backburning operations over the weekend. The backburning operations have been supported by fourteen aircraft, which have been carrying out waterbombing operations.

As a result of the fire crew's operations, the Bell's Line of Road has been closed, with traffic advised to use the Great Western Highway.