NSW ramps up hazard-reduction burns as summer fire danger climbs

Commissioner Trent Curtin reported that the NSW Rural Fire Service has accelerated hazard-reduction burning, boosting activity by 21% since July and covering 124,000 hectares after several years of limited windows. Better weather enabled the increase, yet officials remain uneasy about an upcoming summer featuring above-average temperatures, below-average rainfall and confirmed El Niño conditions. A multi-agency roundtable attended by over 15 groups—such as Fire & Rescue NSW, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Forestry Corporation—was convened to align response strategies.

Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib pledged to seize every opportunity for further burns, while Environment Minister Penny Sharpe stressed vigilance as fires elsewhere intensify. Residents are being asked to perform mechanical hazard reduction on their land, clear gutters, trim vegetation and develop bushfire survival plans before the October fire-danger period begins. The Department of Primary Industries noted that about 37% of NSW was drought-affected at July’s end, prompting Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty to assist farmers with firefighting resources.