Bloomfield Fire
Published Date: 10 Mar 2019
Summary
Two helicopters were brought in to help about 20 fire crews battle a fire which burnt 30 hectares of grass land at the rear of the Bloomfield and Orange hospital complexes on Sunday afternoon.
View the Central Western Daily story
The blaze started about 4.30pm and was driven by strong winds toward Huntley Road.
Just over an hour after it sparked the fire was spotted across Huntley Road towards the railway line.
Rural Fire Service Canobolas Zone operational services co-ordinator Inspector Brett Bowden said four fire crews stopped the fire from jumping the railway line.
By 6.30pm Mr Bowden said the fire was being controlled.
He said the fire started near Ronald McDonald House and whipped up by a gusty westerly wind it soon raced through the dry grassland.
Police blocked off a section of Huntley Road near the Country Club golf course as the flames moved toward the road.
Mr Bowden said police had considered evacuations of the nearby hospitals but it was not necessary as the fire moved away from them.
He said the helicopters would take water from dams at Bloomfield and Gosling Creek or Spring Creek dams to try and control the fire before nightfall.
"We've had a gusty wind all day and the wind will continue for most of tomorrow," he said.
"We will patrol it for the next three or four days. It's extremely dry, we haven't had rain for a month."
Fire crews also attended a structure fire at Springside about 4pm.
The following photo's of the Bloomfield fire are from Sarah Laws Parfett.
