Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Peter Brewer

Homes lost in Far South Coast bushfire, NSW RFS say

Several homes have been lost in a bushfire burning near the NSW coastal town of Bermagui.

A NSW Rural Fire Service spokesperson, on Wednesday, confirmed a number of homes had been lost in the Coolagolite Road bushfire affecting areas like Cuttagee, Murrah, and Baragga Bay

Details of how many homes have been burnt down, and where, are still emerging.

"We don't have many more details than that until our building impact assessment teams can get on the high ground and assess exactly what's been lost," the spokesperson said.

There were no reports of missing people.

Crews were provided some relief when a cool southerly change moved across the fire ground in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The view from Cobargo Pub on Tuesday night, October 3, 2023. Picture by Trapman Australia via Facebook

The fire was burning at an emergency level on Tuesday afternoon and evening.

While the fire near the popular holiday town of Bermagui and the neighbouring Cuttagee and Barragga Bay is still burning, the threat warning has been downgraded to watch and act.

But Commissioner Rob Rogers urged residents not to be complacent as fire danger remained and to stay informed about the RFS alerts.

"We know properties were lost, we just don't know how many and that work will obviously go on this morning," he told Nine's Today Show on Wednesday.

"The good news is there are no reports at the moment of anyone missing, which is good to hear, but we've got to confirm that everybody is okay in those areas because there's a lot of scattered properties firefighters were struggling to get in to."

Marty Webster, from the Bega Valley Incident Management Team, said that the Coolagolite fire had escalated rapidly on Tuesday.

"There has been a lot of spotting behaviour associated with the strong winds," he said.

"The fire progressed down towards Cuttagee and Barragga Bay and we believe that grass fire at Barragga Bay is spotting from that main fire."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.