Firefighters Battle Drake Bushfire in New South Wales After 16 Homes Destroyed

A large fire continued to spread near Drake, New South Wales, after it destroyed at least 16 homes, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) said in a statement on September 17.

Firefighters battled the advice-level blaze on Tuesday and residents in Drake, Rover Park, Ewingar, Sandy Place, Tilbaroo, and along Red Rock Road and the Clarence River, were told to watch conditions and follow bushfire survival plans.

Drake primary school and Tabulam Public School were closed on Tuesday due to the fire which had burned through about 61,000 hectares of land since it was first reported to authorities in early September.

A lack of rain as well as dry and challenging weather conditions were expected to continue in the region, the NSW RFS and the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said.

“Unfortunately, significant rain is unlikely for fire-affected areas in the far northeast,” a statement from BoM said.

“Gusty and erratic winds produced by thunderstorms this afternoon could make firefighting conditions challenging.”

This footage, captured by Ewingar resident Nadine Gaffney, shows fire crews working on the Drake blaze near Ewingar from September 7 – 12.

“It is still burning up in the Ewingar state forest,” she told Storyful.

Fires across New South Wales had destroyed 26 homes and damaged 13 since the fire season began. At least six facilities were also destroyed along with 77 outbuildings, the NSW RFS said. However, firefighters had saved 612 homes. Credit: Nadine Gaffney via Storyful