Three homes are among 17 buildings destroyed in the five bushfires that continue to burn in the Tenterfield area in northern New South Wales.
Rural Fire Service impact assessment crews have confirmed homes were lost at Tabulam, Donnybrook, and Wallangarra, along with 14 outbuildings.
It is a heavy toll, but Northern Tablelands RFS operational officer Angus McDowall says crews did manage to save a number of buildings which came under threat this week.
“Twenty-two houses have been saved and 17 outbuildings as well. So really positive figures there,” he said.
“There are unconfirmed reports of a stock loss across a number of these fire grounds and certainly over the course of today, and into next week, those figures will be released.”
Rain has begun to fall in the region this afternoon and conditions are starting to ease, but a number of fires remain out of control and could still pose a threat to properties.
Heartbreaking loss
Andrew Davidson’s farm near Bluff Rock had been well stocked with feed for the summer months, but the fires changed that in the blink of an eye.
He did not lose any structures on his property, but one calf died, and he lost almost all the feed for his surviving 50 head of cattle.
“I reckon we’re probably 98 per cent burnt out,” he said
Mr Davidson suspects his stock survived because they could shelter in gullies, but his neighbours weren’t so lucky.
“It’s just heartbreaking for them,” he said.
“Some of them lost nearly all their stock.
“Family genetics that have been there for years and years, that have come through the parents … are now gone.”
Mr Davidson will depend on emergency and donated fodder for the foreseeable future.
“It’s just hard getting feed at the moment,” he said.
“If we can snag a couple of inches of steady rain this weekend in three or four weeks, we’ll have that green pick coming along.
“But if we don’t get that, then there’s going to be some really tough decisions about how long can we afford to feed.”
Need for fodder
With so much pasture scorched, and fodder destroyed in the already drought-affected region, farmers in NSW border communities are facing a desperate situation.
Tenterfield livestock agent Matthew Duff put a call-out on social media for any available agistment and fodder.
He said the response has been overwhelming, with other drought and fire-affected producers offering hay and paddocks.
“The response has been absolutely unbelievable; just that Australian spirit of everyone getting in and helping each other out,” Mr Duff said.
“We’ve had numerous calls from people who are in drought conditions as bad as Tenterfield, saying they have a few bales of hay spare, if it was any help.”
Assistance on the way
The NSW government has trucked in an initial 200 tonnes of emergency feed for Tenterfield farmers.
Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty says 58 requests for assistance have been received.
“This includes 51 requests for fodder, five for emergency stock water, and two for animal assessment.” she said
“This is in addition to 207 tonnes of emergency fodder that was distributed to fire affected landholders in the Kempsey area last month.”
Fallen firefighter farewelled
RFS volunteers were among hundreds of people to gather for the funeral of one of their own today at Mallanganee west of Casino.
Senior Deputy Captain John Holmes died after suffering a medical episode while fighting last month’s blaze at Bean Creek near Kyogle.
Mr Holmes joined the Mallanganee RFS brigade in 1971.
RFS Commissioner Rob Rogers and Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib were along the mourners who formed a guard of honour.