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SYDNEY - Burning off by property owners has sparked more than a dozen bushfires in the Northern Rivers Area of New South Wales, in Australia.
Australia's Rural Fire Service (RFS) is working to contain blazes along the north coast and inland areas that have started over the past two weeks.
The most recent fires are raging at Kyogle and Lismore, with larger fires burning west of Casino and further south in the New England region around Armidale and Glen Innes.
Property owners burn off ground cover in winter to reduce the risk of bushfires but dry and windy weather has sent the burns out of control.
"It appears people haven't been really paying attention to the weather conditions and with just a little bit of wind, the fires have easily escaped," RFS spokeswoman Rebel Talbert said today.
Crews from the lower and mid-north coastal areas and the Clarence Valley will assist local fire crews today at Kyogle and Lismore.
The fires in those areas range from 15ha to 290ha in total area but firefighters are remaining vigilant in case backburning efforts by residents worsen the situation.
"We have fire crews in there to protect any of those properties from embers," Ms Talbert said.
Up to 14 tanker trucks and four helicopters will be in and around Lismore and Kyogle today but the steep, rocky terrain in some parts will reduce ground efforts to firefighters working by hand to create containment lines.
"A lot of the areas are inaccessible so we're trying to also create access for tankers to get in there so that the crews can do work in and around the areas," Ms Talbert said.
The larger fires at Armidale range from 100ha to 1,500ha and those at Tweed range from 70ha to 645ha in total area.
No property is under threat and no one has been injured by any of the fires.
- AAP
