The Monaro Rural Fire Service reports that patrols continued last week and over the weekend to address any hot spots, and these patrols would continue on a lesser scale until the risk of another fire sparking up is completely ruled out.

Thanks to the combined effort of a series of fire crews, no major losses of stock or equipment were suffered, and fences proved the only casualties for landowners at Hawthorne.

Both ground and aircrews were involved in the fire fighting process, with brigades from throughout the Bombala district and the wider region working on the control effort.

“It was extremely fortunate that the crews were able to contain the fire so quickly,” Fire Mitigation Officer of the Monaro RFS Team, Fred Nichols said.

Mr Nichols reminds the community of the heightened potential for grass fires in the Bombala, Monaro and Snowy areas at the moment.

“We urge landholders in Bombala district and Snowy Monaro to be aware of this threat and of the risks associated when using machinery and harvesting during these conditions.

“Grass fires pose a real threat to our community as they start very easily and spread very rapidly the only way to manage these risks is to separate the grass fuel load from your assets,” Mr Nichols said.

“It is also important to remember that every landholder in the Monaro region should have their Bush Fire Survival Plan ready, so they and their family can make decisions quickly if a fire threatens their property.”

For more information contact Monaro Fire Control Centres on Cooma 6455 0455, Bombala 6458 3933 or Snowy River 6456 4555 or visit rfs.nsw.gov.au