What a relief ... residents could sit and talk and smile in a rare stress-free moment at the Community Check-in held in tandem with the Bellingen Artisan and Growers Markets on Saturday.
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RFS personnel were kept busy bent over maps with residents discussing fire plans and what the coming week might hold. Staff from various Government agencies were also on hand to talk to residents, as were Red Cross and other support agencies.
The message from the RFS is simple: "Don't be complacent, Andersons Creek fire is still burning ... stay prepared".
The latest update from the RFS Mid North Coast Team is that a helicopter flew over the southern edge of the fire yesterday afternoon (Sunday) mapping hot spots in order to work on extinguishing them today.
Ongoing planning for containment strategies are closely tied to the weather and planners are monitoring conditions to determine the rates of forest drying and the success of helicopter water bombing.
While the conditions have moderated, the risk of the fire making a run under hotter drier conditions towards the end of this week remain and preparations of containment lines using local roads and management racks continues.
Advice:
Monitor conditions - leaving early is the safest option.
Unauthorised lighting of fires can put ground crews working in the area as well as residents as risk.
Heavy plant will be used to support the firefighting operations. Motorists should drive to the conditions.