NSW Rural Fire Service Says All Bushfires Are Now Contained For The First Time This Season

Firefighters have been celebrating across New South Wales, Australia after it was declared that all fires have been contained.

It's the first time since the bushfire season began late last year that the Rural Fire Service is in this position.

The news was announced on social media, with the RFS saying: "In what has been a very traumatic, exhausting and anxious bush fire season so far, for the first time this season all bush and grass fires in NSW are now contained.

"It has taken a lot of work by firefighters, emergency services and communities to get to this point."

RFS deputy commissioner Rob Rogers said that now all the fires are contained, their crews can now look at helping people rebuild their lives.

NSW RFS/Twitter

He said: "Not all fires are out, there's still some fire activity in the far south of the state, but all fires are contained so we can really focus on helping people rebuild."

Since the bushfire season started, there have been more than 11,000 bush and grass fires. In total, these fires burned through a whopping 5.4 million hectares - which is larger than the size of countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia or Estonia.

During that same time period, we have lost 25 lives and around 2,400 homes were destroyed, with many more properties or buildings also gone. On the flip side, firefighters have managed to save more than 14,000 homes from being razed, which is a massive effort.

PA

The number of animals lost is expected to be in the hundreds of millions, if not higher.

It's a massive win for firefighters, who have been on a string on victories over the past few days. The RFS announced the massive Gospers Mountain, Myall Creek Road, Erskine Creek, Kerry Ridge, Green Wattle Creek, Morton and Currowan fires have been extinguished recently.

They've been massively aided by the huge storm that rolled through parts of eastern Australia over the past week.

Writing on Twitter, the NSW RFS said: "Rain has significantly assisted reducing the fire activity across areas of NSW. It is a welcome relief for communities and firefighters alike."

The deluge has also helped to fill dams around the state, giving fresh water for many. However it wouldn't be Australia without some downside, with thousands of people still without power after the storms ripped down powerlines and ruined generators.

Topics: News, Bushfires, Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie