Firefighters have acted quickly to stop a fast-moving fire that spread through tree tops as it burned close to homes at Lake Heights on Sunday afternoon.
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The fire broke out in grass between the edge of Lake Illawarra and homes on Northcliffe Drive just after 4.30pm.
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Warrawong station officer Michael Adams told the Mercury the flames were fuelled by strong westerly winds.
“The fire came up the hill really fast, crowning in the tree tops up towards a line of houses here [on Northcliffe Drive],” Mr Adams said.
“So we got to work, put some property protection lines in place and called some resources in.”
Images and video captured by nearby residents show the spread of the fire.
Six FRNSW trucks were on the scene, along with two Rural Fire Service tankers.
“We've got a number of hose lines in place and ... we've managed to contain the situation with no losses,” Mr Adams said.
The Lake Heights fire came on what Mr Adams described as a “really rough day” for firefighters.
Crews were called to a fire in the Coomaditchie Reserve at Port Kembla about 8.30am on Sunday.
They were then tasked to a house fire at Koonawarra about 1pm.
A re-ignition of the earlier Coomaditchie fire saw crews back at the reserve when the Lake Heights fire call came in.
Andrew Pearson
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
