Bourke bushfire a worrying sign of a hot, dry summer

Bourke Rural Fire Service Captain Michael Amos on site at the Mooculta Station fire on Monday afternoon. Photos TWH

High temperatures this week, at times topping the 37-degree mark, saw the first bushfire of the season east of Bourke, with emergency services warning landholders and residents to be fire-ready.

Fire broke out shortly before 2pm on Monday at ‘Mooculta’ station, 15 kilometres east of Bourke on the Kamileroi Highway.

Police were first on the scene, with the fire spreading to the southern side of the property by the time Rural Fire Service (RFS) Units and Bourke Shire Council crews arrived.

When first RFS crews arrived on scene, there was a grass fire spreading on the southern side of the highway on “Mooculta”.

Bourke RFS Captain Michael Amos requested more appliances and heavy plant to control the fire and traffic control prevented access to the highway from both directions while RFS crews battled to contain the fire.

Bourke Council provided the RFS units with a bulk water cart and four graders to clear fire breaks along the southern and northern boundaries of the property, preventing the fire from getting a hold and spreading further. […]

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