Winter grass fires on NSW Far South Coast a warning for what's to come

Acting District Manager of Far South Coast Rural Fire Service Chris Anderson said the weather conditions paired with poor communication had resulted in a number of fires getting out of hand in recent weeks.

"We're extremely dry at the moment, we haven't seen substantial rain in the Bega Valley for a number of months now," Mr Anderson said.

"Coming off a couple of good seasons the past two years, there is high grass growth around as well.

"Recently, we've had a number of escaped pile burns [that] has been the main contributor for these fires, and we are urging all residents to hold off burning if they can.

"And if they do need to burn, make sure the piles are prepared with adequate water, [and] control lines around the pile burns."

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Two recent fires occurred in both the Wyndham area and Coopers Gully, and moved incredibly fast, which required the firefighting resources from Pambula, Candelo, Jellat Jellat, Tathra, Tarraganda, Angledale, Brogo, Bega, and Buckajo.

"The one north of Coopers Gully got to 10 hectares within about an hour with multiple properties under threat, until we could get appliances on scene," Mr Anderson said.

For those travelling in the district, it can often be difficult to determine if a fire you have witnessed had been organised by a farmer, or was out of control, so the RFS urged everyone to call emergency services regardless.

"Legally, you do need to be present at any fire that is burning. If you've got a pile burn going, you need to be present at that.

"We urge anyone to call Triple Zero (000) if they see any unattended fire in the landscape," Mr Anderson said.

"We've had a number of people not notifying the RFS of their intention to burn.

"It is a legal requirement that everyone notify the RFS, and that can be done through the RFS website, [which] is the easiest way."

With the very dry conditions across the Bega Valley, the Rural Fire Service were asking people to live bush fire ready by preparing a plan in case your property and community was threatened.

"We're urging anyone to start preparing for the bush fire season, create a bushfire survival plan, and do any preparedness works that need to be done before the bushfire season starts," Mr Anderson said.

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