Friday 4 August 2017

Hazard Reduction Burn in George McGregor Park

BY SARAH BARONOWSKI

Don't be alarmed if you see smoke near Lambton Heights this weekend - Fire and Rescue NSW are carrying out a hazard reduction burn in George McGregor Park.

It's expected to last up to 12 hours beginning 9 am Sunday morning.

McCaffrey Drive between Lookout Road and Elbrook Drive will be closed while the burn-off takes place. There will be smoke in the area but Junior Commander, Peter Nies says the impact should be minimal.

"We're going to burn back from McCaffrey Drive into the bush. There'll be a small amount of smoke affecting John Hunter Hospital but we don't expect any problems to arise from that."

It's expected to be a low impact hazard reduction, burning low and slow.

According to Peter Nies, it will help reduce fire load in the surrounding area, protect nearby property and protect the bush and scrub as well.

He says the burn is nothing to worry about and Fire and Rescue officials will keep the situation under control

"We only burn where the fire stays low and burn slowly, and if the fire conditions on the day become worse than we expect, well then we'll limit it to the areas we can control."