The recent season's bushfires burnt 65 per cent of the Far South Coast and claimed eight lives.
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The NSW Rural Fire Service provided Australian Community Media with the latest figures on Friday, with a spokesperson saying the fires had burnt 365,000ha in the Bega Valley and 270,000ha in the Eurobodalla.
This equated to 58 per cent of the Bega Valley's land mass and 79 per cent of the Eurobodalla.
In the Bega Valley, 448 homes were lost and 126 damaged, but 1344 were saved.
However the count was even higher in the Eurobodalla, with 501 homes destroyed, 274 damaged and 1716 saved.
The RFS spokesperson said the cost of the firefighting efforts had not been fully completed yet, particularly with fire still present near the Victorian border, but it would "be into the millions" and had involved "hundreds if not thousands" of firefighters.
The spokesperson said in terms of losses the Far South Coast was "well and truly up there" when compared to the rest of the state.
They said the RFS was still fighting the Border Fire, which had moved north from the Victorian border, as there was still a 300km stretch where firefighters were working on 270 hotspots.
Eight tragedies on the coast
Sadly, eight people from the Far South Coast lost their lives due to the 2019/2020 bushfires.
In the Eurobodalla this included:
- Colin Burns, aged 72, found in a car near Belowra on New Year's Eve;
- Sam McPaul, aged 28, a volunteer firefighter from Moruya killed when his truck was hit by a fire tornado at Jingellic on New Year's Eve;
- A 71-year-old man found on a burnt-out property at Nerrigundah after the New Year's Eve fire;
- A 59-year-old man from Bumbo Rd, Bodalla on January 23.
In the Bega Valley this included:
- Patrick Salway, 29, and his father Robert Salway, 63, who were found at the family farm at Wandella after the New Year's Eve fire;
- A body believed to be of a 56-year-old man found outside a home at Coolagolite;
- Ross Rixon, an 84-year-old Cobargo man taken to Sydney to be treated for burns, died on January 18.
Forestry pitches in
In Forestry Corporation's southern region, which includes the area around Narooma and Batemans Bay, around 80 per cent was impacted by fires over 2019-20.
In its Eden region, which covers the area from the Victorian border to Bermagui, around 74 per cent was impacted by fires.
A corporation spokesperson said its firefighting teams and resources were an integral part of the coordinated statewide firefighting response during the bushfire season.
"Throughout this fire season, more than 500 staff have been involved in firefighting statewide," the Forestry spokesperson said.
"Forestry Corporation strike teams from the South Coast have been deployed to firefighting in state forests throughout NSW since late 2019."
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Albert McKnight
Journalist at Bega District News.
Journalist at Bega District News.
