Schools Closed as Firefighters Battle Blazes Across New South Wales

A number of schools in New South Wales were closed on Monday, September 16, as emergency services battled 48 bush and grass fires across the state.

A fire that had burned through more than 53,000 hectares of bushland near the small, rural community of Drake caused the closure of local schools on Monday. Parts of the Bruxner Highway were also closed as firefighters worked to control the blaze. Residents were told to monitor conditions and follow bushfire survival plans.

This footage shows the fire burning through bushland in Drake.

Meanwhile, Dundurrabin and Hernani primary schools, near Armidale, were also closed as a result of the Bees Nest fire which was threatening properties in the area and had burned through more than 90,000 hectares of bushland, according to the NSW RFS.

An out-of-control bushfire in the Brother State Forest near Glen Innes caused the closure of Wytaliba Primary School as firefighters worked to protect properties. Residents in Wytaliba were told to monitor conditions and nearby communities were warned of embers falling. Credit: Ingleside Rural Fire Brigade via Storyful