A fire near Gobbagombalin came within a few hundred metres of the suburb’s residential area but has since been contained. Photo: Amy Borland.
A fire that broke out near the residential area of Gobbagombalin has been contained by local fire and rescue, only a few hundred metres away from houses.
The fire, which started at about 1:30 pm on Friday (9 January), was believed to have been caused by a large trailer of hay catching alight in a truck yard.
A water bomber and more than 10 trucks were called in to combat the blaze. Photo: Amy Borland.
NSW Fire and Rescue Wagga zone commander Daryl Manson confirmed four Fire and Rescue trucks and nine RFS trucks were called to the site to contain the fire, in addition to a water bomber and helicopter.
“The fire has been contained. No houses or property are under threat. We do have a large trailer of hay, which is well alight in a trucking yard, which we’ve virtually surrounded,” Mr Manson said.
“It’s been a significant response from every agency, but it has been contained. It will take a bit of time to put out, but we are confident that no properties are under ongoing threat.
“It has been a quick and swift response by everyone involved.”
Gobba resident Amy Borland was one of several homeowners asked by Fire and Rescue and RFS for the use of their accessible hydrants to help combat the fire.
“They pulled up and said, hey we’ve got the fire situation, can we use your hydrant?” she said.
“The actual fire looks like it started over the hill and then came close to the houses.”
Ms Borland said the situation moved quickly with trucks arriving shortly after they noticed the fire.
“We’ve just seen the water bomber fly over. While we were a little bit nervous, we were pretty confident the fire was going to be contained pretty quickly,” she said.
“The wind started moving toward the river, so while it was scary to see the fire, we never felt unsafe.”
